Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Black and White
*This fanfic belongs to Melkor's Mercy, i don't own anything*
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Hueco Mundo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Ulquiorra and I will go…this won't take long I hope?" Ichigo questioned.
"A day at the most…" Aizen nodded.
"Let's go then," Ichigo replied somewhat anxiously. The two Arrancars immediately followed after Aizen who made his way back down the massive tower atop Las Noches. Upon touching further down, towards the ground, the Shinigami stopped briefly and turned around.
Aizen observed the two newly born Arrancars with a casual approval as they both stared at him in anticipation. "Before we go to the Soul society…there was an interesting matter I wanted to bring to your attention, Ichigo Kurosaki," Aizen said with a calm tone.
The orange haired Arrancar glared doubtfully as he tilted his head, "Why the delay? I thought we were heading to the soul society immediately."
"Well it might be in your best interest to acquire some clothes first…assuming this palace is the same as I remembered, there is likely some here," Aizen noted casually.
Ichigo glared at him intensely, "Just how long have you been coming and going here?"
"Quite some time actually…since long before you were born. The origins of Las Noches has always interested me, but alas, Barragan is likely the only one who knows of how it came into being. Regardless of that…you two may find clothes in one of its rooms," Aizen explained.
Ulquiorra traded a brief nod of understanding with Ichigo before the orange haired Arrancar spoke, "Alright, let's go find some then…was there something else? You're not moving, Shinigami."
"Forgive my delay, Ichigo Kurosaki, but there was in fact a matter I wanted you to address before we left. There is a rather strange pair of hollows I encountered deep below the Menos Forest that I believe may be of some assistance to our cause," Aizen began.
Ichigo narrowed his gaze, "Is that so? I killed almost everything in the Menos Forest when I was an Adjucha. Why is this relevant now?"
"Their help would prove invaluable…and necessary," Aizen stated bluntly.
The hollow king cocked his head, "How so? Why do we need help?"
"I have been observing the shift in power here for the past few decades. Your arrival was the catalyst for great change in this world. Everything in the Menos Forest feared you…then when you ventured to the surface, you made a name for yourself once again. Now you stand atop Las Noches as King of the hollows. Your presence alone, while formidable, does not truly emphasize the magnitude of such a title. The Soul Society simply views you as a powerful hollow. An Alpha of sorts…and nothing else. If you truly wish to show them that you are the King of Hollows, then you should be their iconic opposite and instill fear within them," Aizen explained somewhat vaguely.
"You speak in circles too much…I suggest you be more straightforward with your logic, Shinigami," Ulquiorra spoke darkly. His threatening tone seemed to radiate distrust as he glared at Aizen.
The captain didn't even seem fazed by Ulquiorra's comment as he remained dead fixed on Ichigo's reaction. The horned Arrancar seemed uncertain.
"Think about it, Ichigo…what could you do to prove yourself a force to be reckoned with? How would you show them the full opposition of your rule?" Aizen asked.
The horned arrancar thought for a moment, "Well…for starters, they wear all black, so we could wear all wear White I suppose."
Aizen grinned, "That's a good start…but it's not what I meant exactly. What represents the might of the Soul Society to you, Ichigo?"
"Shinigami Captains, most likely…" Ichigo said as he was beginning to understand Aizen's reasoning.
"So then what represents the might of Hueco Mundo? Vasto Lordes. You united almost all of them…so perhaps you should bring them along," Aizen explained.
Before he could even examine Ichigo's reaction, the Arrancar had Aizen's throat in a vice grip. The Shinigami Captain could barely believe the situation as Ichigo lifted him off the ground, "You already think you can order me around, Shinigami?! I'm not a fool. I would not leave Las Noches unprotected. For all I know this is all a part of some plan of yours to lure us away. I am not concerned about some hypothetical ambush waiting for me, but I won't let you move us around like pawns. Is that clear, Aizen?!"
The brown haired man coughed and began to gasp heavily as Ichigo released his grip dropping the man to the ground. Aizen took a deep breath as he stared at Ichigo cautiously, 'How did he move that fast? Perhaps I underestimated the growth in his power…he's too powerful for me to search control through conventional means…and certainly more observant than I gave him credit for. I'll just have to play by his rules until I can master the Hogyoku. I wonder how effective my Zanpakuto would be…I doubt he would let me draw my sword against him. Perhaps I can find a way to catch him off guard. Though so long as we remained allied, my plan can still proceed accordingly. I should not underestimate Ichigo again…I will have to be very cautious from here on out.'
"Perfectly," Aizen said as he rose to his feet slowly, "you're in charge, Ichigo."
"What did you mean by almost all of the Vasto Lordes? Didn't they all come to witness the battle?" Ulquiorra interrupted curiously.
Aizen grinned, "Well, one of the hollows beneath the Menos Forest that I mentioned…it is a Vasto Lorde similar to you. This hollow has a very unique ability that would prove invaluable to our mission in the Soul Society. I would prefer if we could bring it at the very least."
"I don't trust you, Aizen…your motivations behind all of this seems skewed to me, but I will humor your request. If there are any rogue Vasto Lordes, then I should recruit them, but I don't intend on wasting my time looking for this hollow. You better lead us straight to it," Ichigo sighed.
"What is this unique ability you speak of? And what of the other hollow? You mentioned there being a pair?" Ulquiorra questioned curiously.
Before Aizen could respond, several flashes appeared all around the three individuals. Standing around them was Barragan, as well as Grimmjow, Harribel, and Starrk. They all glared at Aizen suspiciously, but seemed even more surprised by Ichigo and Ulquiorra's new appearances.
"White, I sensed your spiritual power fluctuate…what is the meaning of this!? How did a Shinigami infiltrate Las Noches?!" Barragan trailed off topic angrily. Despite his still recovering injuries, his rage was no less prevalent as he stared at Aizen hatefully.
Grimmjow cracked a fist, "A Shinigami?! What the…what happened to you two? You look way different than earlier. Has this Shinigami done something to you?!"
The feline Vasto Lorde, while still beat up from earlier, shared Barragan's same attitude towards the lone captain.
Harribel and Starrk both stared silently at Ulquiorra's appearance as well as Ichigo's with an unrestrained confusion.
Starrk spoke slowly, "Did you two become Arrancars? There were two massive power fluctuations."
"Yes, we did…" Ulquiorra spoke for the first time to the others. They all seemed surprised to hear his voice and see his face.
Grimmjow cracked his fists and hissed, "Why?! Who the hell would want to be one of those broken masked hollows?!"
"They're more powerful than regular hollows since they possess Shinigami powers as well as their own hollow ones," Aizen answered for them.
Hearing the suave captain speak seemed to incite Grimmjow into a fit of rage, but he immediately restrained himself as Ichigo sent him a quick glare to back down.
Being the voice of reason, Harribel spoke up, "Perhaps you should explain the situation fully, White."
Ichigo held his hand up, "Very well, Let me explain…Ulquiorra and I both became Arrancars. Shortly after, our transformation attracted the attention of this Shinigami spy. Apparently he is one of the few capable of opening Gargantas here. His name is Sosuke Aizen and he claims to be alone in Hueco Mundo. This Shinigami Captain approached with the proposition of an alliance with Hueco Mundo and two of his colleagues in order to kill the Soul King and defeat the Soul Society."
A brief silence passed after Ichigo's explanation. All of the Vasto Lordes and Arrancars had mixed reactions. Grimmjow and Barragan both seemed annoyed by the very idea of it, whilst Harribel and Starrk appeared more interested.
"Absurd…to think one of these pathetic specs of dust has the gall to infiltrate my palace and suggest an Alliance?! I will never work with them!" Barragan growled.
"Technically…this is White's palace now," Harribel said stoically as she continued to eye Ichigo up and down.
Barragan mumbled something to himself but immediately shut up after Ichigo locked a quick glare at him, "Regardless of that…" Ichigo said as intimidating as possible, "this Shinigami informed me that the Soul Society has a powerful item capable of turning hollows into Arrancars. His offer seems beneficial."
"I thought you were opposed to Arrancars…strange to see you become one yourself. What would be the benefit of this?" Harribel said somewhat uncertainly.
Ichigo shook his head, "As an Arrancar your evolution through the Menos Cycle ceases. That means we wouldn't have to eat each other to keep from reverting back into lesser hollows. Since we intend to establish a true hierarchy here then it would only make sense to do so."
"It would also make us more human…and improve the lifestyles of all hollows," Starrk nodded.
Barragan didn't seem fully convinced as he eyed everyone doubtfully. Aizen however, was quick to catch onto this, "It might interest you to know, Barragan, that you yourself are an imperfect Arrancar."
"What did you just say?! I am a Vasto Lorde and a King!" Barragan growled.
"You're a Vasto Lorde yes…but you are on the verge of something greater. Your power is peaked in that current form…but if you were to become a true Arrancar then it would become even greater. With the power of the Hogyoku, I could empower all of you…" Aizen smooth talked.
"Hogyoku? It sounds like nonsense to me. How can you be certain it isn't some sort of trap laid out by this withering worm?" Barragan half demanded looking over at Ichigo.
Ichigo chuckled at the question before turning towards Aizen, "You have my permission to continue, Shinigami. Explain this Hogyoku to my Vasto Lordes."
Inwardly Aizen felt annoyed that Ichigo had already established his dominance, but pushed his emotions aside as he spoke calmly, "As your King White has stated…the Hogyoku has the ability to transform hollows into Arrancars. Hollows become far more powerful in this state. I won't go into details, but it is capable of a great many things. One of which is to blur the lines between Shinigami and Hollow. You could live more fulfilling lives and still oppose those who hunt you with the increased power you would wield. Is that not what you've all wanted?"
"You don't know anything about what we want…" Ulquiorra interrupted emotionlessly.
"Perhaps not…" Aizen shrugged.
Ichigo began to pace around as he made eye contact with each of his high ranking allies, "Ulquiorra and I are going to retrieve this item from the Soul Society. When we return, we will see to it that this Shinigami delivers his promise. If he does not, then we will tear him apart. The rest of you should stay here and maintain order. Keep our forces gathered…I know that the soul society is planning something against us."
Barragan seemed excited by Ichigo's boldness, "You're going to the Soul Society? Such a thing has not been attempted in millennia."
"I'll go with you! Let me instill fear in them!" Grimmjow said eagerly.
"No…you and Barragan are still recovering, and I need you all keep the Adjuchas in line. This isn't an invasion…we're simply retrieving the Hogyoku," Ichigo explained.
The blue haired beast sighed in annoyance but nodded, "I got you, White…we'll stay."
"I'm not sure this is a good idea…but I trust you to do what you think is best," Harribel nodded.
"If what this man says is true then this Hogyoku could be our salvation…and it would make it easier to unite more hollows," Starrk added with an unusual interest.
Barragan finally seemed convinced by the idea as he grunted in acceptance, "Very well…but who is in command during your absence? Myself I presume?"
"You're free to command the hollows in Las Noches all you want, but don't try commanding me," Harribel said with a slight touch of hostility.
Grimmjow shared a similar response, "I'm not taking orders from you…just so we're clear."
Starrk simply looked away bored, "I don't mind…I'm no leader anyways."
"Get over your pride all of you…we're the elite of Hueco Mundo. The leaders of the Hollows. The rest of our kind depend on how we manage things from here. For their sake…and for our own, we cannot afford to turn against each other over petty things. Right now the only thing keeping Hueco Mundo united is our cooperation. What would you rather do? Live scattered in fear as we all kill each other over scraps of power…or take orders from someone? Barragan's in charge until I return…don't make me regret this decision," Ichigo turned towards the skeleton king with a dangerous look.
Dead silence followed as everyone simply nodded silently. Afterward, Aizen's voice caught their attention once again, "The way you speak to them is fascinating…I never would have imagined you to be the charismatic type, Ichigo."
"Show us this room with the clothes you mentioned and then we'll go find that other Vasto Lorde," Ulquiorra spoke up redirecting the conversation.
Aizen nodded, "Of course follow me…"
"What's he talking about? There's another Vasto Lorde?" Grimmjow asked.
"Supposedly beneath the Menos Forest from what he's said…we'll go investigate it first. Go on Aizen…start moving!" Ichigo commanded.
"Of course," he responded in his usual relaxed voice. Ulquiorra and Ichigo both trailed behind the Shinigami as he led them around Las Noches into what seemed to be a corridor of sorts. After a short run through the infrastructure, they came across a large room.
Aizen pointed inside, "There's likely clothes in there."
"You're not leaving my sight, Shinigami…go first," Ichigo gestured.
"As you say…" the brown haired man's eyes trailed away for a short moment before leading them into the room. After entering, Ichigo looked around at the interior curiously, "It seems like this room was built for a human."
"My theory is that Arrancars are responsible for the creation of this palace…though that is something you might want to ask Barragan about," Aizen shrugged.
After a short search through the room, both Ichigo and Ulquiorra found white outfits that seemed to perfectly express their opposition to the black clad Shinigami. Ichigo's release form receded slowly as he adorned his new attire. Despite the unusualness of putting on clothes, he seemed to have an instinctual understanding of how to do so.
Ulquiorra quickly did the same as his release form also receded. As they changed, Aizen looked away for a moment and sighed, "The other special hollow you asked about has an ability that I would consider necessary for our escape."
Finally dressed, Ichigo turned towards Aizen, "So you've said…what about it is so important anyways?"
"It has an ability called Negacion…you may not be aware of what that is. But it is an ability that allows a hollow to isolate its allies from their current dimension and draw them back into Hueco Mundo. So say for example we get surrounded in the Soul Society…we would have an immediate escape," Aizen said coolly.
Ulquiorra's eyes widened slightly, but Ichigo appeared fascinated by the idea. The orange haired Arrancar glanced at Aizen seriously, "You've already given this some serious thought I see…I can't deny that having a backup plan does make sense. What special ability does this other Vasto Lorde possess if any?"
"The Vasto Lorde protects this special hollow and many of the gillians. I am not fully aware of all of its abilities, but I do know that it has the ability to negate fire," Aizen said as he began to walk out of the room.
Ulquiorra and Ichigo quickly followed him as they all made their way back outside.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Some Time Later XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
An undetermined amount of time passed as Ichigo, Aizen, and Ulquiorra had finally arrived at the Menos Forest beneath the shifting sands of the surface. Their trip had been spent mostly in silence, minus the occasional comment or acknowledgement regarding direction and preparation.
As they walked through the forest, Ichigo couldn't help but look around and feel a bit nostalgic. The sight of the Menos Forest brought up brief memories of his time as a Gillian and later Adjucha. Looking at a scarred path of destruction, he immediately remembered the time he killed Shinigami there.
The orange haired hollow smiled for a moment quickly catching Aizen's attention. The brown haired captain glanced back, "You seem quite distracted…"
"I'm fine…it's just interesting coming back here," Ichigo replied. Ulquiorra remained silent but quickly figured that Ichigo recognized the heavily scarred landscape they were following.
They continued like this for a time before finally coming to a strange cavern. Upon stopping, Aizen sighed, "This tunnel leads to an underground den. There you will encounter the hollows. As the King, I trust you will be able to conscript them into your army."
"Ulquiorra…make sure you keep watching him while I deal with these hollows," Ichigo said to his friend before stepping into the cave. Ulquiorra motioned for Aizen to go first and followed swiftly behind him.
The cave seemed to stretch quite a way as it winded further down into the ground. Finally after another long walk, they reached the underground den. Ichigo stepped into it without fear as he examined what he could only describe as the largest hollow he had ever seen.
It had a massive bulbous body and a large single eye. Its fingernails had the appearance of Gillian Masks as well. Ichigo didn't have much time to examine it since not even a moment later a bluish white Vasto Lorde blinked in front of him.
The Vasto Lorde was somewhat shorter than him, with shoulder length blonde hair and purple black eyes. Its mask was quite unique in appearance and had headpiece like extensions coming off the forehead. Two spike like extensions came out of its upper back and dead center in its chest resided a hollow hole.
Ichigo didn't bother reaching for his Zanpakuto as he slowly approached the Vasto Lorde. The hollow seemed surprised by his action and pulled a purple sword out of nowhere. Before the blade could even be risen, Ichigo held up his hand, "Wait!"
The other hollow lowered its sword much to Aizen's surprise as he and Ulquiorra stood a considerable distance behind Ichigo. The massive hollow behind the Vasto Lorde appeared passive despite their arrival.
Ichigo stared at the Vasto Lorde for a brief moment before speaking, "What is your name, Vasto Lorde?"
The creature seemed surprised by his question as it tilted its head to the side. It stared at the mask fragment atop Ichigo's head and at the black sclera, golden eyes of the Arrancar. Ichigo looked at the creature's mask and wondered if it was even capable of speech.
Without warning the Vasto Lorde charged him with unseen speed and tried to slice him with its blade. Before the weapon could even make contact, Ichigo caught the other hollow's wrist mid swing. Aizen watched with interest as the hollow immediately tried attacking again.
Each and every melee attack it delivered either missed or was stopped by Ichigo's bare hands. It didn't take long for the Vasto Lorde to cease its assault as it leapt back cautiously.
"Wonderweiss Margela…" was all the Vasto Lorde managed to say as it placed the purple sword between the spikes on its back.
"My name is White…if you've lived in the Menos Forest, then you probably know who I am," Ichigo began.
The purple eyed hollow stared at him almost emptily before responding, "White…dragon adjucha?"
"You remember me? I evolved…into a Vasto Lorde like you, and now I am an Arrancar," he explained.
"Arrancar?" the other hollow said the foreign word with uncertainty.
Ichigo nodded and quickly pointed at his mask fragment, "The broken mask made me more human…but is also increased my power."
The Vasto Lorde seemed fascinated by him as he stared Ichigo up and down with a particular approval, "White is strong…"
"Yes…I am the King of Hueco Mundo. I united all of the hollows. Tell me Wonderweiss, what is the name of your friend here?" Ichigo asked as he looked up at the still passive giant hollow behind them.
The Vasto Lorde glanced back at the monstrosity before turning forward again, "Hooleer."
Ulquiorra stared at the scene with a slight interest, 'Ichigo is handling this better than I expected. This Vasto Lorde is very strange…'
Deciding it was appropriate to move in, Aizen slowly walked up and joined the conversation, "Hello Wonderweiss, my name is Sosuke Aizen."
The Vasto Lorde immediately tensed up reaching for his weapon again, but stopped as Ichigo put a hand on his shoulder, "What do you and Hooleer do down here?"
Keeping his eyes fixed on Aizen, the hollow spoke slowly, "Protect gillians…Hooleer guardian. Wonderweiss guard Hooleer."
"His speech appears fragmented…I imagine this duty of his is the only thing that keeps him from going fully feral," Aizen noted.
"You wish to protect other hollows then?" Ichigo asked.
The Vasto Lorde nodded at his question, "Yes."
"Then you should join my army. I want the same thing. I want all hollows to stand united in order to protect us from the Soul Society. You two could help me against the Shinigami," The hollow king elaborated. Upon hearing his comment, the massive Hooleer looked down at Ichigo and made a loud shriek.
Wonderweiss turned around and looked up at it, "Hooleer agrees?"
It shrieked again in confirmation as it stood up fully. The Vasto Lorde glanced back at Ichigo, "Wonderweiss help, White…"
"Hooleer…I have a favor to ask of you. I need you to open a Garganta within the Soul Society when we give the signal," Aizen stated as he addressed the massive hollow.
It stared at Aizen with its one visible eye before turning towards Wonderweiss and Ichigo. The Orange haired hollow nodded, "We will need your help to escape after we retrieve something called the Hogyoku from the Soul Society. Wonderweiss will come with us to help, but we need you to stay in Hueco Mundo and use your Negacion when we call for it."
The colossal hollow seemed to understand his command as it simply shrieked a short howl of confirmation.
Ulquiorra approached and gave Aizen a quizzical look, "How will you give the signal?"
"Hooleer will know. Wonderweiss will call him," the Vasto Lorde interrupted.
"I suppose that works too," Aizen nodded. Though despite the solution, Ichigo and Ulquiorra both couldn't help but wonder what Aizen's original plan was.
"Alright before we go, what is the plan? What are you going to do to retrieve the Hogyoku, and what do you want us to do?" Ichigo asked.
The brown haired captain smiled, "I want you three to wreak as much havoc as possible. While everyone is distracted, I will wipe out Central 46. They are the political body of the Soul Society. After they're gone, I will retrieve Kaname and Gin. We will meet you at Sokyoku Hill shortly afterward…it's the large rock atop the Seireitei. The Hogyoku itself is still present in Rukia Kuchiki. If you could, bring her there…"
"Why is this Hogyoku inside a Shinigami anyways?" Ichigo interrupted.
"That's a long story…but to sum it up, Kisuke Urahara believed she was just powerful enough to keep it safe, but not too powerful in which she would awaken its powers. She herself is likely unaware that she has it. Do not mention it to her until I am ready to extract the Hogyoku," Aizen explained.
"Okay…is there anything else we should know before going in?" the arrancar double checked.
The captain's face remained calm, but his eyes seemed to darken slightly, "Try to avoid fighting the Captain Commander. I doubt even you could survive his bankai. He is the only complication I see in this extraction."
"Let's go then…" Ichigo said anxiously. Aizen smiled as he opened a door to the Soul Society.
"When we get there…try to keep a low profile and mask your spiritual power. I will open the gate for you. Once it's open, we split up. Are you ready?" Aizen asked with a calm joyfulness.
"Ready," Ichigo nodded as he followed behind Aizen with Ulquiorra and Wonderweiss at his sides.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Soul Society Gate XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Aizen was quick to get the gate open as he entered the soul society first. He distracted the guard just long enough for the three hollows to slip inside unnoticed. Ichigo and company didn't waste any time heading further into the city as the gate closed behind them.
The guard spoke to Aizen curiously, "It's good to see you back Captain Aizen, though I wasn't expecting you…how goes the hunt for White?"
"He'll show himself eventually," the captain said calmly as he headed off in his own direction.
Further into the Seireitei, Ichigo stopped and landed on a building as he looked over the vast architecture of his infamous foes. He glanced over at Ulquiorra and Wonderweiss, "You two, stay together…go destroy that section of the city. I'm going to find this Rukia Kuchiki. If you need my help, just regroup with me."
Aizen flash stepped behind the three hollows and spoke up, "One more thing I forgot to mention…my other two accomplices are Captains Ichimaru and Tousen. One has short silver hair and the other is blind with darker skin. You'll know them when you see them. If they 'attack you' try to put up a good show would you?"
"How long do you need to wipe out this Central 46?" Ichigo asked.
"The more time the better, but I can expedite the process if necessary. I'll show up to 'confront' you on Sokyoku hill once I'm done…I imagine by then the Captain Commander might become involved. If that happens we will need to leave immediately," Aizen explained the plan.
Ulquiorra interjected calmly, "We should hurry up then…"
"Of course…I'll meet you all at Sokyoku Hill," Aizen said as he flash stepped away.
Ichigo nodded before taking off. He briefly tried to recall Rukia's spiritual signature as he stealthily patrolled the rooftops.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Soul Society, Shinigami Academy XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Karin sat in the corner of the large training room with a look of seriousness plastered on her face. The better part of the day had been spent watching second and third class try to get ranked into first class through skill battles.
The disparity between them wasn't as great as she expected, seeing as how several first class students were defeated and lost their spots. After several hours of that, they had finally reached the first class tournament. As expected, Karin and Ayame both soared through their brackets and were now prepped for the final match.
The entire room whispered and gossiped anxiously as Karin stood up with a calm anger evident. She glared at Ayame with as much fury as her eyes could project. The other girl had a similar glare pointed back. The tense atmosphere in the room had everyone on edge as they watched eagerly for the hated rivals to face off.
"We will now be proceeding into the final match to determine the first and second ranks in class one. However, this match will be in the courtyard arena to avoid as much destruction to school property as possible. If you would, follow me…the rest of the academy will be watching this battle as well," Onabara announced.
The classes all erupted into exciting gossip as they filed out of the large training room. As they followed Onabara outside and around the corner, they soon arrived into a large open area behind the Academy. Karin looked around and noticed hundreds of students seated in what she could only describe as bleachers.
In the middle, there was a drop off arena covered in stone. She guessed it was probably the same kind that made up the gates of the Seireitei, 'I guess that's a good way to keep us from destroying school property…'
First, second, and third classes all found their respective seats in the bleachers. The first class sat on the front row. Karin glanced around wondering if anyone important was there, but much to her dissatisfaction there wasn't.
Though she did see a few Shinigami standing near the instructors. Only a few of them caught her eye. One was a man with red hair and black facial tattoos. He had an armband, which Karin quickly recognized as a Vice-Captain's symbol. 'What's a Lieutenant doing here?' Karin thought surprised.
Another Shinigami that seemed curious to her was a short dark haired woman with a serious look on her face. She also appeared to be a Lieutenant much to Karin's surprise. Upon making eye contact with her the woman jaw-dropped at Karin.
'What is she staring at?' Karin wondered confused.
Further away, the woman in question was none other than Rukia Kuchiki. The raven haired woman was there out of boredom, but now found herself in a state of disbelief. Rukia focused her gaze on Karin intently, 'I've seen that girl before…she's the one White was following. I thought she was human?'
"You okay, Rukia?" Renji asked his friend who seemed to be staring at one of the students. She glanced up at him and shook her head, "That girl…with the black hair…I've seen her before. She used to be human."
"What? That's crazy Rukia…you sure she's not someone else?" Renji replied doubtfully.
Rukia glared at him, "She's from Karakura Town…what is she doing here?"
Renji took a closer look at the girl and cocked his head, "Who is she anyways?"
"I guess we'll find out…it looks like she's one of the finalists," Rukia pointed out. One of the nearby instructors eyed Renji curiously, "Lieutenant Abarai, aren't you supposed to be stationed in Karakura Town right now?"
"Yeah I'm just visiting," he shrugged, "Rukia and I thought we'd come by and check out the Ranking match."
"I see, well I'm sure Onabara-sama will be pleased to see his old students again," the instructor nodded.
The loud gossiping and chatting from the crowd quickly died down as Onabara spoke up, "Thank you all for taking this time out of your day's training to attend the annual ranking ceremony. Second and Third class fought hard and several students earned a place within First Class. Never falter in your resolve and you could do the same. Those in First Class…never grow content, for somebody is always there to take your place."
The students all began to clap, and several cheered. They were silenced again as the instructor held his hand up, "However, as is custom, we have saved the final ranking match for the whole Academy to witness. Here we have two girls this year. One is last year's first ranked student, the vigilant prodigy Ayame Yukimura!"
The crowd exploded into cheers as the hot-headed girl leapt down into the courtyard arena. She pulled her white hair up into a ponytail before waving to the crowd. They continued to cheer and several boys even whistled in approval.
"And here we have this year's challenger…she's brand new to the school and has already proven herself amongst the strongest. Many of you may remember her violent outburst in the lunchroom recently…the heir of the Shiba Clan…the fearsome Karin Shiba!" Onabara pointed.
'Way to make me sound like the villain…' Karin thought as she sent an annoyed look at the man.
'Shiba?! She's related to Kaien?!' Rukia thought shocked.
There was a strange mixture of boos and cheers from the crowd. It seemed fairly divided amongst the crowd, but Karin was quick to notice the students of First Class either booing or remaining silent. She cracked a fist before jumping down to face Ayame.
"I'm going to make you pay for hurting Nariko!" Ayame announced. It was completely obvious to Karin that she was trying to portray herself as the hero.
It seemed quite effective as the crowd began to cheer for her. Karin simply sighed to herself, 'I should have just stayed back in the World of the Living.'
"For this match, it will continue until one party is unable to fight. We have medics on hand…I want no fatalities. Is that understood?!"
"Yes sir," Karin and Ayame replied simultaneously.
"Bow!" he said sternly.
Both girls bowed very slowly keeping their eyes locked on each other.
"Begin!" Onabara shouted.
No sooner had the words left his mouth, Ayame came dashing in with her standard quick draw. It seemed much faster than usual as she swung her blade with as much strength and speed as she could muster. Karin narrowly managed to block it and slid back several feet.
The crowd erupted into cheers as Ayame followed up with a devastating whirlwind of strikes. It quickly became clear to Karin that this girl was actually trying to hurt her. She swiftly ducked from an overextended slash and roundhouse kicked Ayame's side.
This time the other girl wasn't caught off guard as she feinted sideways. She twisted her sword back and spun around hoping to slice Karin from behind. Her attack was about to hit, but for some reason, Karin's perception of reality began to slow down considerably. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she ducked forward. Leaning towards the ground, Karin kicked back hitting one of Ayame's legs, before spinning into a leg sweep.
Time sped up to normal again as Karin sent Ayame tripping to the ground. The crowd gasped at the amazing feat of speed, especially Karin's supporters. She briefly glanced at the audience and saw quite a few people cheering for her.
"Get her Shiba!" some random student yelled.
Karin immediately shifted focus back to Ayame and saw the girl quickly rise to her feet. The white haired prodigy growled angrily, "What's the point in dancing around like this…I'll go full power with my shikai right now!"
Rukia watched surprised as one of the girls summoned a twin bladed glaive, 'An academy student with a Shikai? No wonder she was ranked first…but that Karin girl was human. She's going to kill her!'
"Woah…academy students have Shikais now?" Renji said somewhat surprised.
"C'mon Shiba! Show everyone that pretty Shikai of yours! I want to see what you think you can do with it!" Ayame taunted.
The Kurosaki girl held the blade outstretched, "If beating you down is what it takes to shut you up then fine…I've had enough of you trying to antagonize me."
Rukia's eyes widened, 'NO way! Is she about to…'
"Rise Aoigetsu!" Karin said angrily.
Her Zanpakuto quickly formed into the beautiful black broadsword from the other day. Rukia stared in amazement at the faint blue glow it seemed to radiate.
"A battle with Shikais?!" one of the second class students said disbelievingly, "this is too amazing for words!"
Karin gripped her sword with both hands and clutched it tightly. She stood patiently as she waited for Ayame to attack first. The other girl appeared much more cautious than in their lunch battle. It was likely she feared the wave that Karin was able to fire from her sword.
"What are you waiting for, Yukimura…come and get me," Karin baited.
"You must think I'm a fool…that wave attack of yours won't catch me off guard again. You never even got to see what my Shikai was capable of doing," Ayame said confidently.
"Then show me…" Karin replied.
Ayame's glaive almost seemed to vibrate as she spun it in a flourishing pattern. At first it appeared to have no effect other than making her look cool, but Karin quickly realized what was happening. The wind began to pick up in all directions around them as it gathered into a concentrated area around Ayame.
Deciding to go first, Karin charged. She knew she couldn't let Ayame finish what she was doing. Unfortunately, it seemed to be too late as the other girl cleaved in Karin's direction. Despite it being out of range, her attack immediately sent something similar to a tornado flying at her. Karin sped left and tried to pass it, but much to her shock it followed.
During this time, Ayame managed to launch two additional ones. As she waded through the dangerous tornadoes, one of her legs was clipped by the attack. As she suspected, it immediately drew blood leaving a gash across her lower leg.
Karin grimaced painfully, but had no time to recover as she had only avoided the attacks to run into Ayame's range. The white haired girl flurried her glaive fiercely, but was ineffective at breaking through Karin's guard.
Unfortunately, with the encroaching gales from behind, Karin soon found herself cornered, as Ayame wouldn't let up. She knew she was in trouble if she couldn't counterattack in time. Thinking fast, Karin stomped on Ayame's foot quickly ceasing the assault.
With both hands, Karin swung her blade against Ayame, who had no choice but to block the blade. However, as she swung Karin sent the other girl flying back against the wall with a blue wave of energy. With room to move, Karin narrowly evaded the gales as they came tearing behind her.
She charged her shikai again and spun around hoping to push the tornadoes back with an energy cleave. As the blue wave launched from her blade, Karin watched in disbelief as they gales dispersed and reformed. Seizing her opportunity, Ayame created several more, which surrounded the two girls in a massive wall of wind.
It quickly began to close in around them as Ayame charged in again. Knowing that she had no choice, Karin dove through a tiny opening between two of the gales quickly receiving many cuts. Thankfully however, she now had room to charge her weapon again. Holding it overhead, Karin smashed her sword against Ayame's gales in a powerful vertical attack instead of a horizontal slash.
It proved to be much more powerful than her previous energy waves as it completely overwhelmed the gales and blew through Ayame's defenses. The girl tried to avoid the attack, but was shocked as Karin began to launch alternating horizontal and vertical waves, creating a grid pattern.
Ayame managed to cut through several and dodged others, but during this time, Karin closed in and launched another vertical beam at close range. With no options left, Ayame held up her shikai to take the full brunt of the attack and immediately went flying into a wall.
Karin ceased her attacks as she stared over at the girl. Ayame slowly stood up, but looked considerably damaged. She was breathing heavily as she glared at Karin, "You think you're so much better than me, don't you!?"
The Kurosaki girl simply stood there with an angry stare, 'She's still trying to make me seem like the bad guy here…'
Meanwhile up in the stands, Rukia walked up to Onabara with a concerned expression, "Is this really appropriate?! You're letting academy students try to kill each other down there!"
"Kuchiki-dono, I understand your concern, but it is unnecessary. Do not question my methods. The ranking match is always like this," he dismissed.
"Like hell it is! Does the Captain-Commander know that you're letting two students try to kill each other with their Shikais?!" Rukia protested.
Renji quickly intervened as he spoke up, "I thought there was a rule against academy students using Shikais if they had it?"
"What would you have me do? Call off the match? We are at war with hollows in case you two weren't aware of that. You came through the academy during peacetime. It was lax then…I will see to it, that the brightest of our new generation Shinigami are prepared for battle," Onabara said sternly causing Rukia to glare and Renji to cross his arms.
The Lieutenant shook his head, "Well you'd better hope neither one them kills the other, because those girls look serious down there."
"Onabara-sensei…when exactly did this Karin Shiba girl appear? I'm pretty sure she was human not too long ago. How did she enroll in the academy?" Rukia asked.
The man shook his head at her, "It seems your brother chose not to inform you…Captain Shiba the former squad ten captain has returned. Karin Shiba is his daughter. He had her enrolled recently with the Captain Commander's approval."
Before Rukia or Renji could reply, their attention was brought back to the match as Ayame shouted, "I'm not done yet, Shiba!"
Karin's Zanpakuto spoke darkly, 'You better take her out soon…this girl doesn't look like the kind to fight fairly.'
During this time, Ayame began to speak an incantation. Rukia watched with surprise as she was quick to recognized one of her own signature abilities. Ayame began to glow red much to Karin's confusion, as she traced symbols in the air.
"Bakudo number 9: Geki!" Ayame shouted.
Karin took her Zanpakuto's advice and tried to go in for the finish, but much to her horror, she was completely immobilized. She glanced down and noticed a red glow covering her own body now which kept her paralyzed.
'What the heck is this?!' Karin thought worried.
"You look surprised…don't tell me you have no experience with Kido? Hahaha!" Ayame laughed as she held Karin in place.
She held her glaive up and prepped it for an attack, but before moving she glanced up at Onabara, "It would seem I've won, sensei…I could easily execute her right now."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX With Ulquiorra and Wonderweiss XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The unusual Vasto Lorde looked at Ulquiorra as if expecting him to give a command. The black haired arrancar said nothing as he held up his hand and formed a cero. He aimed it at the landscape Ichigo pointed to and unleashed the blast.
The powerful green and white beam streaked across the horizon as it sliced many buildings apart and unleashed a wave of destruction. Wonderweiss did the same as he charged a purple cero. Both hollows traded a look of approval as they continued to destroy all of the surrounding buildings.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX With Karin XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The students all cheered in adoration at Ayame's clutch comeback. Rukia glanced over at Onabara, "Call off the match…she won."
"It's not over yet…If Karin Shiba values her life, she will find a way out. The match will continue…" Onabara announced causing everyone to quiet down in shock.
Ayame herself appeared uncertain of what to do as she held Karin at a blade's edge. "She can't do anything else…I've won, sensei! Declare me the winner already!"
"Have you won, Yukimura-san?" he questioned.
The girl bit her lip as she glanced back and stared Karin in the eyes, "Surrender, Shiba! I'm the best!"
"No…" Karin said calmly. The Kurosaki girl was quick to catch onto Ayame's dilemma much to the other girl's bitterness.
"F-fine then…" Ayame said somewhat skittishly as she slowly reared her weapon back for a killing blow.
"Onabara-sensei, stop this!" Rukia shouted.
"You're overstepping your authority here, Kuchiki-dono…this is my academy," the man silenced her.
Renji glared at the man, "Sensei, this is ridiculous!"
"Is Ayame really going to kill her?" one of the students in the audience asked. The crowd quickly broke into a frenzy of gossiping whispers.
The moral ramifications of it caused the white haired girl to hesitate again. Finally she released her bakudo and glared angrily, "I beat her! I don't need to kill her! Though if sensei insists on me knocking you out cold then so be it!"
Before Karin could say anything, a massive explosion caught everyone's attention. The entire crowd's gaze shifted to the horizon as they saw green and purple beams streaking across the horizon igniting the landscape.
"What the hell was that?!" Renji shouted shocked as he looked over. Moments later they felt an overwhelming surge of spiritual energy appear out of nowhere. It was so powerful than everything in the Soul Society likely felt it to some degree. The air itself grew heavy as the wind picked up.
Red and black spiritual energy seemed to be radiating on the horizon along with green and purple. Rukia's eyes widened, "That spiritual pressure…it feels like a hollow! Are we under attack?!"
Her question seemed to cause an uproar as the students all began to panic. Onabara was quick to restore order as he projected his voice loudly, "Silence all of you! This match is postponed until we can determine what is happening. Everyone file into the main building in a calm orderly fashion. Lieutenant Abarai will investigate this disturbance. I expect you all to maintain discipline and-"
Before the man could finish his announcement, flash appeared behind him. It made a loud noise and quickly caught everyone off guard. "S-s-s-sensei!" Ayame stuttered in pure terror as she pointed behind him, "behind you!"
The man felt his heart skip several beats as he turned his head, and there his eyes met the golden black eyes of the most infamous hollow in existence. Onabara looked terrified, "W-white?!"
Ichigo jabbed one of his swords through the instructor's back and lifted him off the ground. The hollow king pointed his sword skyward and charged a cero between his horns before blowing the man into dust. As his red and white cero shot into the sky it seemed to set the sky on fire.
The academy students scattered like roaches as they all dispersed and ran for their lives. Ichigo carelessly ignored them as he focused his attention back on the reason for his arrival. He looked at Rukia with a serious glare, "Rukia Kuchiki…you're coming with me."
"H-how do you know my name?!" Rukia gasped.
"What are we going to do?! He killed Onabara-sensei! How is White in the Soul Society?!" Ayame said in hysteria.
Renji immediately jumped in front of Rukia and drew his Zanpakuto, "Get away from her you monster!"
"Monster? You act like you know what a real monster is…" Ichigo said carelessly.
"Roar, Zabimaru!" Renji shouted as he summoned his Shikai.
"Renji, don't fight him! You can't win!" Rukia said fearfully.
The red haired Lieutenant growled angrily, "How did you get here? Your kind can't enter the Soul Society!"
"How does it feel knowing you can't strike out at us from your alleged impenetrable stronghold anymore? I've grown tired of you Shinigami trying to kill me," Ichigo said menacingly.
Karin could barely believe how cruel the hollow sounded, 'There's no way that thing is Ichigo! He wouldn't say things like that.'
"What do you want?! Is this an invasion?!" Rukia demanded.
Ichigo slowly began to walk closer, "If it was, you would already be dead…now come with me, Shinigami girl!"
"You're not getting near her!" Renji said bravely as he swung his snake sword at Ichigo. One cleave was all it took to completely shatter the Shikai.
Renji went flying back from the sheer force behind the attack and now found it nearly impossible to get up due to the immense pressure. Rukia stood frozen in fear as her legs began to shake.
"Hey, White!" Karin shouted catching Ichigo's attention. He immediately recognized the voice and spun around disbelievingly.
Ichigo examined the Shinigami uniform and the evident Shikai in her hands before speaking, "Karin…what are you doing here?"
"Rukia, get out of here! He's after you!" Renji tried say as quietly as he could. The woman appeared seriously conflicted as she glanced between Renji and Ichigo who now appeared very interested in Karin.
Karin stared at him and shook her head, "What the hell did you do to Ichigo!?"
"What do you mean by that?" he asked surprised by her question.
Rukia took this opportunity to run to Renji's side. He appeared able to stand again and was quick to pull her away, "C'mon Rukia, we need to get out of here."
"We can't just leave these kids though," She protested, but had no choice as Renji dragged her away. Ichigo sensed them fleeing but decide to ignore it since the sight of Karin was far more important to him at the moment.
Ayame, who was lying fear stricken on the ground, glanced at Karin disbelievingly, "Shiba, what are you doing?! That's White!"
"Shiba? Since when have you gone by that name?" Ichigo asked her surprised.
"It's my father's name…" Karin answered.
Ichigo glared at her, "Since when?! What the hell are you doing in the Soul Society?!"
"I could say the same to you…White!" Karin shot back.
The hollow shook his head as if disgusted, "Why are you involved in any of this?! You belong in Karakura Town living a normal life!"
"How the hell am I ever supposed to live a normal life after the things I've seen?! You killed Ichi-nii! My brother was a good person, who cared about protecting others! You're just a monster!" Karin shouted.
'You're just a monster…' the phrase repeated in his head over and over again, getting louder and louder. He felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. It was similar to the time he first encountered her in the park, but it felt ten times worse.
The horrible emotion he was experiencing felt as if it was constricting his chest as well. Karin raised her blade against him much to his utter disbelief. Ichigo stared at her, 'What is she doing?'
"Shiba are you crazy?! That thing's going to kill you!" Ayame shouted horrified.
"Just tell me, White…what really happened to Ichigo? What did you hollows do to him?!" Karin demanded.
'What have they done to pollute her mind like this?! Karin knows I'm me…is she in denial or something?' he thought angrily.
Karin took this time to look back at Ayame, "Get out of here, Yukimura…I'll hold him off."
"You crazy bitch, don't try to be some kind of hero! That hollow just killed sensei!" she shook her head.
"Just go!" Karin shouted. The white haired girl didn't hesitate another moment as she fled as quickly as she could. She seemed to struggle greatly due to the immense spiritual pressure, but managed to flee nonetheless.
Ichigo and Karin were finally alone now. The hollow King stared down at his teenage sister sadly, "You would really raise a blade against your own brother?"
"My brother died two and a half years ago…you're just the monster that ended up with his soul," Karin said, "and I will free it one of these days."
"You don't know anything about hollows, Karin. Do you seriously believe that I am not Ichigo?" he questioned.
The girl glared, "I know my brother wouldn't take an innocent person hostage! If you are Ichigo…then you aren't the same person Ichi-nii was! Why do you hate the soul society? Why are you killing people?!"
He could tell the conversation was going nowhere, and quickly became frustrated, "Whatever you think you know about the Soul Society and about me is wrong…I don't know how you ended up here, but I guess that doesn't matter at this point. You've already chosen your side. Is Yuzu here too?!"
"No…Yuzu doesn't know anything about our Quincy Mother and Shinigami father…or hollow possessed brother," Karin answered.
Ichigo's eyes widened, "Hollow-possessed?! Hollows aren't demons Karin…and what did you say our parents were?! Our father is NOT a Shinigami…and what did you call mom?"
"It doesn't matter! We're enemies now!" Karin said conclusively. The girl brashly charged and tried to attack, but was immediately disarmed and tripped before she could even process what had happened.
She got up again and charged her Shikai before launching a blue wave at him. He sliced it in half with one of his blades and shook his head, "Stop it Karin! I'm not going to fight my own sister…"
"No! I can't let you go on like this! I can't let dad see you in this state!" She began to cry as she ran at him again. He easily disarmed her before tripping the girl once again. Getting up once more, she tried to charge at him unarmed. Ichigo quickly jabbed both of his swords in the ground and stood still. Karin tried to punch him several times, but it had literally no effect as he stood there stalwartly.
It quickly became clear to her that it would be impossible for her to do any damage with or without her Zanpakuto. Karin half expected Ichigo to kill her as he had a very angry look in his eyes. He stared at her bitterly, "Just get out here…go home."
She stood there powerlessly as Ichigo retrieved his swords and glanced back over at her, "Take care of Yuzu…"
Right as he finished his remark, two figures landed nearby. Ichigo immediately recognized them as captains due to their vast spiritual signatures. One had long white hair, and the other had some kind of pink coat over his Haori.
"My my, what do we have here?" the captain with the pink coat spoke first, "is this the source of all that spiritual energy right now?"
"It is as I feared…this is no ordinary hollow attack. White is here," Ukitake said grimly.
"So this is the boogeyman hollow?" Kyouraku asked interested.
Ukitake nodded, "It would seem so…though he doesn't look how I imagined."
Ichigo looked between the two of them and hissed, "I don't have time for you…"
Without another word, he disappeared with a sonido and chased after Rukia's spiritual pressure. Ukitake glanced over at Kyouraku, "You should go after him. I'll catch up in a moment."
"Don't take too long Jushiro…I don't know how I feel about fighting White by myself," the other captain replied casually before flash stepping after Ichigo.
Ukitake walked over towards Karin and extended a hand to her, "Is everything alright young lady? What happened here? Why did White attack the academy?"
"He was looking for someone…Rukia Kuchiki I think," Karin replied.
The White haired man seemed worried, "What? Is Onabara around anywhere?"
"White killed him with some energy blast…and set the sky on fire," Karin answered.
Kyouraku's Lieutenant quickly arrived much to Jushiro's relief. He glanced at the woman urgently, "Nanao, can you gather up the students and take them somewhere safe? I need to help Shunsui…White is here."
The woman's eyes widened dramatically, "Of course sir…but are you sure?!"
"Yes…take this girl with you," he stated before immediately taking off after Kyouraku.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX With Ulquiorra and Wonderweiss XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ulquiorra and Wonderweiss had been tearing the Seireitei apart with their powerful attacks, and quickly caught the attention of countless Shinigami. They easily dispatched many would be heroes who came in to attack them blindly.
Before long their presence had alerted the attention of several Lieutenants and Captains. One captain had a massive figure and some kind of bucket over his head. To his sides, stood a lean built, dark skinned captain with a blindfold over his eyes. Behind them on either side were what appeared to be their lieutenants based on Ulquiorra's hypothesis.
They all seemed gravely concerned with the hollows being there, minus the dark skinned captain who appeared calm. The massive captain with the bucket over his head spoke first, "You've made a grave mistake attacking the Soul Society hollows!"
He looked at the two of them uncertainly as he tried to take in their appearance. Ulquiorra's broken mask greatly troubled him, "Why is your mask broken? And is that a Zanpakuto!?" Komamura demanded.
Ulquiorra stared passively at him as he charged a cero over his fingers, "That's irrelevant to you, Shinigami…"
"Captain, be careful…" Tetsuzaemon spoke up cautiously, "we don't have the manpower to fight off an army of these guys."
The wolf captain drew his blade, "Bankai! Kokujou Tengen Myou-ou!" Right as Ulquiorra's cero fired a massive, armored demon blocked it with his blade before slicing it in half.
The green eyed Arrancar narrowed his gaze slightly, "A bankai…"
"Wonderweiss, fight captain…you go," The Vasto Lorde told Ulquiorra.
The Arrancar nodded at him before leaving with a Sonido. "Hey get back here! Tousen don't let that hollow run!"
"I will deal with this one…you should go after it," Tousen said calmly.
"Fine…good luck, my friend," the wolf captain nodded before chasing after Ulquiorra. After he left Tousen and his Lieutenant stared down the unusual Vasto Lorde.
"You appear to be a Vasto Lorde…do you have a name?" Kaname asked curiously.
"Captain, there's no point in talking to these things. We need to take this thing down…" Shuuhei stated seriously
Kaname nodded, "True…but we know nothing about why our enemy is here, or how many there are."
"Wonderweiss Margela…" the Vasto Lorde said his name.
Shuuhei seemed confused by the reaction, but Kaname nodded, "Very well, Wonderweiss…show me what you can do."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Ulquiorra and Komamura XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Much to Ulquiora's surprise, Komamura managed to catch up to him relatively quick. The massive captain growled angrily, "How many of you are there, hollow?! How did you get through the gates?!"
"Do you intend to stop me?" Ulquiorra asked seriously with as he reached for his blade.
The captain seemed infuriated by his passive attitude and swung his sword. Ulquiorra watched curiously as it moved in conjunction with the giant armored demon. 'He controls the giant through the movement of his own body…' Ulquiorra noticed as he easily evaded a heavy smash from the captain's bankai.
"If you're so determined to die by my hand, then I won't waste my time avoiding you…" Ulquiorra spoke seriously after easily dodging several more swings.
Komamura's anger quickly rose, but he fell back to a defensive stance and watched curiously as Ulquiorra drew his Zanpakuto, "Enclose Murcielago."
Green and black spiritual energy began to rain across the sky as Ulquiorra transformed into his release form. Komamura was beyond shocked by the display and looked at the wings as if a revelation struck him, "You were that hollow that followed White?! What are you?!"
Ulquiorra charged a cero over his hand again, "You won't live long enough to find out…"
The captain immediately took cover behind his Bankai and prepared himself for the Cero. As he suspected it was much more powerful as it blasted him across the city and crashing into the distance.
Ulquiorra didn't even bother to check if it killed him as he turned around. Floating in the air behind him was a female captain. He eyed her curiously as he noticed the look on her face.
"No hollow could have breached this city undetected…how did you infiltrate the Soul Society, Arrancar?" Unohana asked calmly.
The dark haired hollow was mildly surprised that she knew he was an Arrancar but said nothing as he tried to gauge her power. It was clear that she wasn't a pushover, otherwise she wouldn't have confronted him after his display of power.
"Luz de la Luna," Ulquiorra said as he formed a green javelin of energy in his hand. Unohana watched cautiously as the hollow charged her with it. Much to Ulquiorra's surprise, her speed matched his own. She drew her blade and parried it.
He didn't hesitate to keep attacking, but as he swung in for a second slice, Unohana turned her blade and sent him off trajectory. Ulquiorra disappeared with a sonido a considerable distance away before creating a second Luz de la Luna in his free hand.
Unohana expected him to dual wield them as Ulquiorra came in for another round, but much to her surprise he threw one towards the ground as he got closer in range. She briefly glanced down and watched as the javelin released a colossal explosion beneath them.
Ulquiorra reappeared behind her with another sonido and his threw his second weapon directly at her. She managed to dodge it, barely, but was now blinded by the two explosions. The bat arrancar took the opportunity form another one as he tried to stab her through the chest.
Unohana deflected it with her blade and followed up with a counterstrike, but much to her surprise she didn't see Ulquiorra there. She tried to sense him, but wasn't able to accurately detect his spiritual energy with the aftereffects of his attacks still dying down.
By the time she sensed his spiritual pressure, it was too late to notice that he had been charging a cero beneath her. The captain flash stepped out of its trajectory and watched wide eyed, 'That attack could have done real damage…I can't let him hit me with one of those.'
Ulquiorra reappeared in front of her again and stared seriously, "You're quite strong Shinigami…more than I expected."
The sound of stomping and heavy breathing quickly interrupted them as the furious Komamura managed to rejoin the battle. "Captain Unohana…please let me handle this one."
"As you wish…" she said calmly as she retreated further back.
Ulquiorra glanced at the woman, 'She's far more powerful than he is…I wonder why she's holding back against me?'
"Your cero was strong, hollow…but I won't be taken down that easily. You'll pay for brazenly attacking the Soul Society!" Komamura roared.
The black haired hollow glanced into the distance as he sensed Ichigo's rising power, 'I hope he's working fast…I don't think it's wise to fight these captains for too long. I don't sense any of the ones that attacked us in the World of the Living. We might be in trouble if they all come back.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX With Ichigo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It didn't take him long to track down Rukia and Renji, both of whom were running as fast as they could to the Squad One Barracks.
"Hurry up, Rukia! If we can make it to the Captain Commander, then we'll stand a better chance!" Renji said urgently.
The raven haired woman nodded as she ran alongside him as fast as possible. Both immediately stopped in their tracks as a white and orange blur appeared in front of them. Ichigo stopped in front of Rukia and Renji with a terrifying look in his eyes, "Going somewhere?"
"Oh damn! We're screwed!" Renji said fearfully as the hollow king slowly walked towards them.
Rukia gritted her teeth at the hollow before mustering her courage, "What do you want with me?! Tell me and I'll go with you!"
"Rukia, don't!" Renji said, but was quickly interrupted.
"You're in no position to bargain with me…" Ichigo shook his head.
Right as he finished his statement, Ichigo felt two very powerful spiritual signatures land next to him. He looked around slowly and noticed two captains.
He immediately recognized them as the ones that confronted him from earlier. "Captain Ukitake, Captain Kyouraku!" Renji sighed in relief as the two powerful Shinigami approached.
"Rukia get out of here…" Ukitake said seriously as he drew his Zanpakuto. Kyouraku did the same, "Normally I don't bring out my Shikai right away…but for White I'll make an exception."
Ichigo watched curiously as the two captains summoned their Shikais. Much to his surprise they were both dual wielders like himself.
"Rukia, c'mon let's go!" Renji called out to her. Kyouraku glanced at her, "Go find old man Yama…tell him we're dealing with White."
"Yes captain!" Rukia bowed before leaving with Renji.
Ichigo growled as he tried to chase after them, but couldn't as both captains moved to block his path. He tried to cleave through them, but that simply began a six bladed onslaught.
Both captains moved with incredible agility as they fought against Ichigo's attacks. They moved at different tempos making it difficult for him to parry both effectively. Several attacks managed to break through Ichigo's guard, but simply left minor cuts much to the captains' surprise.
Finally, annoyed with their holding him back, Ichigo crossed both blades and unleashed them, "Getsuga Jujisho!"
The named attack that fired from his blades was so powerful at point blank range that it sent both captains flying along a cross shaped wave of black energy. It blasted through the Seireitei obliterating everything in its path before finally erupting in one of the outer districts in a blackened red nova of pure energy.
It seemed to create an earthquake as an after effect along with a deafening explosion. With the two captains no longer blocking him, Ichigo chased after Rukia's trail again. He moved with incredible speed as he hunted them down.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX With Ulquiorra XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ulquiorra, Komamura, and Unohana all stopped what they were doing as they saw a cross shaped wave of black energy explode into the distance. The sight actually seem to shock Unohana who looked at it disbelievingly, "I can't ignore that, Captain Komamura…"
"Go! I'll be fine!" the wolf captain replied.
Ulquiorra stared at the aftermath of Ichigo's attack, 'He must be in a bad mood…I should wrap this battle up quickly. Something like that is bound to call in all of their reinforcements.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX With Aizen XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The malicious captain Aizen and his loyal right hand man Gin Ichimaru watched the footage of Ichigo's attack. Gin's eyes actually opened widely as he saw the pure destruction it caused, "It's amazing you were able to tame such a powerful hollow, Captain Aizen…that attack likely would have killed them had it not been for Captain Ukitake's Shikai."
"Yes…Ichigo Kurosaki has grown far more powerful than I expected. His cooperation came at a price however. We're not running the show…at least not officially, but he seems malleable enough to agree with me. For now it's sufficient enough for me," Aizen noted as he turned around.
Behind them were the bodies of Central 46 each sitting dead in their own seats or sprawled across the room in a pool of blood. Gin shook his head, "Something like that is bound to get the Captain Commander involved."
"That's not the only problem we have right now…" Aizen sighed as he changed the camera footage to an opening door from the World of the Living. Through it came five captains, their lieutenants, and countless Shinigami reinforcements.
Gin chuckled, "I guess we better get out of here…I hope you have a plan?"
"Of course…let's go to Sokyoku Hill," Aizen nodded.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxXXXXXXXXXXXX Newly Arrived Captains XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The five captains that had been stationed in Karakura Town were immediately recalled by Captain Kurotsuchi after the attack began. Each of them had their own two cents to throw out as they made their way back into the Soul Society.
Soifon stared in disbelief at the devastation, "What the hell is happening?! How did hollows infiltrate the Seireitei?!"
"White…he's here!" Isshin said seriously as he cracked a fist.
"Hell yeah! I've been waiting for a rematch with that horned bastard!" Kenpachi chuckled cheerfully.
"Oooh! So White really is in the Seireitei?! Let's go get him, Kenny!" Yachiru chirped joyously.
Byakuya narrowed his gaze, "I sense immense spiritual pressure in several areas…the strongest of which is near Sokyoku Hill. Let's go…"
Hitsugaya gritted his teeth, "That bastard will pay for this! How did he slip by us in the World of the Living? Hollows can't invade the Soul Society like this!"
"This is…impossible," Rangiku shook her head as she looked around at the burning horizon. Their arrival was quickly met by Unohana's Lieutenant.
The tall white haired woman spoke urgently, "Thank heaven you're all back! Captain Unohana went ahead to stop White. He's on a rampage!"
"Where is the Captain Commander? Isn't he going to stop this?!" Hitsugaya demanded.
"I don't know…but we should regroup!" she replied.
"Where are Captains Ukitake and Kyouraku?!" Soifon questioned as the Shinigami leaders made their way closer towards the source of spiritual energy.
Isane shook her head, "I don't know…they went to investigate an attack at the academy and that's the last I've heard from them."
"The Academy?! Karin!" Isshin said furiously as he sped in front of the pack. 'If White has laid one finger on her, I'll murder that fiend!'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Ichigo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The Hollow King landed atop Sokyoku Hill, where Rukia and Renji were now cornered. He couldn't help but wonder if it was a mere coincidence that they came here, but his thoughts were pushed aside as a lone figure landed in front of him.
Ichigo stood across from an old, bald man with a long white beard. He had noticeable scars and carried a cane. It didn't take him long to figure out who it was, "So…you must be the Captain Commander?" Ichigo asked.
"And you must, White…" Yamamoto countered.
"Did you come to fight me old man?" Ichigo asked seriously.
"I do not know how you broke into the Seireitei, or what you're after, but I will not allow you to continue unopposed!" the Captain Commander shouted.
Ichigo glared at him, "Get out of my way…"
"You will not touch the Sokyoku, hollow!" the head captain bellowed.
'What is the Sokyoku? I thought that was the name of this hill? What does he think I'm after?' Ichigo wondered.
"Head Captain, be careful…I don't know how, but he managed to shake Captains Kyouraku and Ukitake both off of him in their Shikai states!" Renji interjected.
The Old man pounded his cane against the ground, "Go! Get out of here…it seems I am the only one capable of dealing with this hollow!"
Neither Rukia, nor Renji had to be told twice as they immediately took off again. Ichigo didn't try chasing after them as he stared down Yamamoto. 'It figures I would have to fight him…I guess Aizen's going to have to get the girl.' Ichigo sighed.
"Then deal with me…if you can!" Ichigo taunted.
The old man's cane quickly dissipated as a Zanpakuto was revealed to be inside of it. The Captain Commander deep breathed slowly as he threw off his Haori revealing the super toned, but heavily scarred body of a warrior.
"You think you're the first hollow to grow this bold? I slew dozens like you back in my youth. Your death will be no different!" Yamamoto exclaimed as he drew his sword.
"You grossly underestimate me." Ichigo said darkly.
"I have underestimated nothing. Anything that bleeds can be slain…no hollow has ever stood as my equal in battle. What makes you think you're any different?" Yamamoto stated violently.
"Because I'm the King of the Hollows…" Ichigo replied. Yamamoto cracked a fist at his response and snorted in disgust. It was evident to Ichigo that the very idea of such a thing enraged Yamamoto.
Ichigo stood there cautiously as he remembered Aizen's warning about the Captain Commander's bankai. He wasn't sure what the old man was about to do and simply remained calm as he weighed his options.
"King of the Hollows you say? Prove that strength to me then, White! It has been a long time since I've had to use my Shikai. Let us see if you are even worthy of that! Reduce all Creation to Ash!" Yamamoto roared.
Ichigo immediately felt the temperature around them skyrocket as Yamamoto's sword caught on fire. "Jokaku Enjo!" The Old man waved it in a circle quickly surrounding the entire Hill in an inferno. The hollow king looked around concerned, 'There's no way out…but through him.'
The head captain breathed deeply as he amplified the surrounding fire to near unbearable levels of heat. Ichigo felt himself sweating profusely from it, but thankfully his hierro managed to shield him from the worst of the heat.
"You will be cast down like all who came before you!" Yamamoto roared as he amplified the fire around his sword even greter. The orange haired hollow said nothing as he charged into battle.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Wonderweiss XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Kaname and Wonderweiss had been back in forth in a faux battle, but quickly stopped what they were doing when they both noticed the fire from Sokyoku Hill ignite in the distance.
The blind captain's mind began to race, 'This is bad…we need to regroup with Aizen-sama immediately…'
Without a word, he left looking for his superior.
Wonderweiss stared at the fire concerned, "White needs help." He wasted no time making his way towards the Hill.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Ichigo and Yamamoto XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
They both moved with incredible speed and power as they smashed blades against one another.
Yamamoto definitely had the advantage in strength as he managed to overpower Ichigo's parries, but due to the hollow's superior speed, he didn't have enough time to land a second hit.
Yamamoto fought like flaming juggernaut as he charged Ichigo relentlessly hacking away with near godlike strength. One of his swings actually managed to knock one of Ichigo's swords out of his grip.
Without stopping, Yamamoto brought his Shikai down in a tremendous cleave sending another inferno towards Ichigo. This forced Ichigo further away from his disarmed blade and gave Yamamoto the perfect opportunity to charge him again.
As the flaming Shinigami closed in on him, Ichigo charged a cero between his horns and as much spiritual energy over his remaining blade as possible. "Getsuga Tenshou!" He roared as he cleaved the blade against Yamamoto's flaming Shikai. He simultaneously fired the cero from his horns along with it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Incoming Reinforcements XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
All of the arriving Captains and Lieutenants had finally arrived at the source of power only in time to see fire surrounding the hill. Outside of it, they spotted Unohana who stared wide-eyed, "The Captain Commander is fighting White…everyone stay back. That fire will engulf you if you get to close."
Isshin grimaced angrily, "Damn it! We're too late?!"
"How many hollows are here, Captain Unohana?" Byakuya asked immediately.
"I believe three…" she answered.
"Three?! Are kidding me?!" Toshiro said as he looked back at the trail of destruction caused by Ichigo's Getsuga Jujisho.
Much to their approval, two additional figures quickly arrived. "So Old Man Yama's fighting that thing now?" Kyouraku asked surprised.
Both he and Ukitake appeared somewhat injured, but otherwise okay. "White is after Rukia Kuchiki…have any of you seen her?" the white haired captain asked, but his question was ignored as a streak of black red spiritual energy went flying through the flame wall followed by a cero. As the cero arced across the sky, it sent a chain reaction of explosions everywhere, and blew Yamamoto's fire back.
Everyone looked up in disbelief as they witnessed the Head Captain fighting Ichigo. The flame wall was blasted back as Ichigo swung his sword. Yamamoto himself quickly recovered from his attack, but not in time to stop Ichigo from retrieving his disarmed blade.
With both of them now in hands he stared the captain down with fury, "Getsuga Jujisho!"
"Captain Commander get out of the way!" Ukitake shouted.
The old man was somewhat surprised to see all of the captains gathered there, and grunted in annoyance, "Why are all of you standing around?! Aren't there two more hollows lose in the Seireitei?!"
As Ichigo unleashed his double crossed attack, Yamamoto gathered fire into his blade to counter it. However, right as he was about to swing his blade, the fire on his sword began to recede.
"What is this?!" Yamamoto bellowed as his fire considerably weakened for some unknown reason. It was then he noticed a Vasto Lorde land nearby.
He immediately braced himself as Ichigo's Getsuga Jujisho hit his weakened blade. He was unable to stop it and quickly found himself airborne as the wave shot him into the distance.
Everyone stared in utter horror at Wonderweiss and Ichigo. "Captain Commander!" Hitsugaya shouted shocked.
"What are you all standing around for?! Move in, Take that bastard down!" Soifon ordered.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Kenpachi laughed as he and all of the other captains landed atop the Sokyoku Hill.
"Thanks for the help, Wonderweiss…" Ichigo nodded respectfully at his ally, "Where's Ulquiorra?"
Quickly answering his question, a green cero fired into the crowd of captains. Ichigo glanced back and noticed Ulquiorra land behind him. Despite the cero, the captains quickly reformed into a semicircle as they got into attack stances.
"White!" Isshin shouted angrily as he walked forward with a look of hatred in his eyes, "do you remember me?!"
Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw a horrific sight before him. His father…his goofy, overbearing, simpleton father was wearing a Shinigami uniform and had a Zanpakuto.
'Then what Karin said was true…dad's a Shinigami?! What the hell does that make me?!' Ichigo thought shocked.
"He looks different than the last time we encountered him…as does his ally," Hitsugaya was quick to point out.
"They're arrancars now…" Unohana clarified, "broken masked hollows. They wield Shinigami and Hollow powers."
"That's an abomination!" Soifon growled.
"Answer me, White! Do you know who I am?! I'm the man whose son you killed! Whose wife and daughter you attacked!" Isshin shouted.
Ichigo stared at him searing in anger, "Your name is Isshin Kurosaki…and you own a clinic."
"What?" several people said at the same time as they glanced over at Isshin uncertainly. The dark haired man gave Ichigo an uncertain look, "So you've been watching me all this time then?! Waiting to inflict as much harm as you could! Waiting for your revenge?! I swear to God himself that if you touched Karin, I will murder you!"
Ichigo said nothing as he glanced over at Wonderweiss. The Vasto Lorde seemed to instinctively understand what Ichigo wanted him to do. The hollow knew they would have to call for negacion soon.
Rukia and Renji regrouped with the large crowd of the Gotei 13 as they noticed the reinforcements. Rukia sighed in relief, "Captain Ukitake…you're alright. Thank heaven."
"We've got them cornered, everyone keep your guard up…" Soifon stated with her usual irritated voice.
"Where are the rest of the captains?" Rukia asked. As if this were his cue, Aizen quickly appeared with Gin and Kaname at his sides.
Momo, as well as several other Lieutenants also arrived somewhat sporadically. They all appeared relieved by Aizen's arrival.
"Well it would seem we're all here now…" Aizen smiled.
"I don't see the Captain Commander anywhere," Gin said being a smartass.
A loud thud sounded from behind, which Ichigo quickly turned around and noticed to be a massive captain with a weird helmet on. "You're still alive?" Ulquiorra said surprised.
"White!" Komamura shouted as he tried to land a blow with his massive bankai.
Ichigo cut the giant back with one swing of his sword and brought Komamura to his knees. The wolf captains helmet shattered as blood poured from his wounds.
Looking back to the horrified crowd of Shinigami, Ichigo started to laugh, "You all think you're invincible sitting here in your impenetrable Seireitei…you think you can kill my kind without any consequence?! I protect the hollows…"
"Why were you after me then?! What is it that you want, White?!" Rukia asked once again.
Aizen smiled as he flash stepped behind Rukia. Nobody saw it coming as he reached inside of her and ripped out a small looking orb of some kind.
The Shinigami woman doubled over in pain causing every captain and lieutenant to jaw drop as Aizen walked over to Ichigo's side. "Captain Aizen, what are you doing?! Explain yourself?!"
"Rukia!" Byakuya said seriously, but still without much emotion as he ran over towards his sister. Aizen held the orb up for all of the Shinigami to see, "It would seem my time here has ended…I'm off to seek greater heights."
"What the hell?!" Toshiro roared, "Damn you!" he immediately unleashed his bankai charging at Aizen but before he could react in time, one of his wings was sliced off. Soifon tried to move in for a quick attack as well, but was instantly stopped as Gin's sword came shooting in front of her face.
Kaname and Gin both walked over towards Aizen's sides as well creating an uproar of confusion. Rangiku spoke for the first time, "Gin, what are you doing?!"
"Kaname?!" Komamura shouted shocked.
"What are you fools doing?! You're in league with White?!" Soifon gasped.
Unohana held up her arm to stop Kenpachi who looked as if he was about to charge in. The woman stared at them all seriously, "You're all surrounded…do you really intend to fight your way out of here?"
Before they could answer, a heavily scarred, and very pissed off Yamamoto landed nearby. Upon seeing Aizen Ichimaru, and Tousen standing at White's sides he cracked a fist, "Captains Aizen, Tousen, and Ichimaru…Explain yourselves! Why do you stand with White?!"
"I guess you'll never know…" Aizen shrugged with an evil grin.
Momo shook her head, "Captain Aizen?! How could you?! Why betray us?! What have you done to Rukia?!"
"Before we go, Aizen…there's one last thing I wanted to tell Isshin Kurosaki," Ichigo cut in.
Everyone watched with anticipation as Ichigo locked gazes with his furious father, "I didn't kill Ichigo…"
Suddenly, his release form began to recede. Slowly but surely, pieces of his mask flaked off until only the upper left part and one horn remained. His dual blades reformed into a simple white katana that immediately sheathed itself.
Isshin felt his heart stop at the sight before him. Ichigo's golden black eyes radiated anger as his orange hair blew in the wind, "I am Ichigo."
The man was frozen in disbelief that his deepest darkest fear turned out to be one hundred percent true. Everyone gasped at the news. "Wait…so White's your son?!" Soifon clarified as she looked at Isshin.
"That's it, I'm not waiting anymore!" Kenpachi brushed off Unohana as he ran in furiously. Much to his annoyance, Kaname and Gin both blocked him.
Ichigo scoffed, "Let's get out of here…Wonderweiss, do it."
The Vasto Lorde let out a deafening howl quickly causing everyone to reach for their ears. Afterward they were shocked to see a Garganta open up overhead.
"What the hell?! A Garganta here?! How is that possible?!" Ukitake gasped.
Kyouraku traded a look of seriousness with Yamamoto. The Captain Commander tried to deliver one final attack against Ichigo, but right as it got in range six golden lights shot down through the open Garganta. Within it, everyone could see the silhouette of a colossal one eyed hollow and countless Gillians.
"Everyone get back…that's Negacion. It's impossible to touch them now," Yamamoto growled angrily as Ichigo, Aizen and everyone else rose up in the golden light.
"What is there to gain from betraying us Aizen?!" Ukitake asked.
"Everything…" was all he said in response as he pulled off his glasses and slicked back his hair.
Ichigo took one last look over the distraught faces of the Soul Society leadership before he and the others were brought into the hands of gillians. The massive Garganta closed promptly behind them.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone