Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Of Demons and Death ❯ To Soul Society! ( Chapter 2 )

Once again, I DO NOT and WILL NEVER own any part of Bleach or Inuyasha. I merely beg the forgiveness of the authors for twisting their characters and ideas to fit my sick needs.

 

NOTE: NO INUYASHA CHARACTERS WILL BE DEPICTED IN THIS WORK! I MERELY TOOK SEVERAL IDEAS TO SUPPLEMENT MY OWN!

 

Once again I want to say that I have edited my story due to the new information coming out in the manga.

 

(I love the copy and paste tool…)

 

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“It… it really caught up with us!” shouted Ishida, clearly surprised. “The parts we've passed through are falling!”

“What did you think it was going to do, Quincy?” I asked over my shoulder. “Sit down with us and have tea?”

“Hey! Quit calling me Quincy! My name is Uryu!” shouted Ishida and I couldn't help but laugh.

“I know who you are. You're father's quite a character.” I retaliated, careful not to step off the beaten path.

Before Ishida could come up with a decent counter Yoruichi interrupted us by saying, “If you have time to look behind you, why not run faster! If you're caught by the kouryuu you're finished!”

Just as she finished speaking it lurched forward, Ishida yelling in surprise as it caught his cape and jerked him backwards.

“Ishida!” shouted Ichigo angrily as he reached for his zanpakuto. “Idiot, it's because you're wearing those stupid clothes!”

“Hold on!” shouted Yoruichi as I skidded to a stop. Don't use the zanpakuto! Kouryuu traps souls! If you use your zanpakuto you will not escape!”

“Then what should I do!?” asked Ichigo, frantic to free his friend.

Suddenly Chad ripped Ishida's cape in two, freeing him from the clinging kouryuu.

“Uh, thanks.” said Ishida, and I couldn't help but laugh as Chad unceremoniously hoisted the flustered Quincy over his shoulder and proceeded to carry him.

“Let's go.” said Chad as we started running again.

“Uh… oh.” said a surprised Ichigo.

“Put me down Chad! I can run all by myself! Put me…” shouted Ishida before he faltered. “W… wait guys, look… it's like… something is coming!”

Both Yoruichi and I looked back at the same time to see a rapidly approaching light following our trail.

“Shit!” I shouted as I picked up my pace, the gigantic train rapidly approaching.

“What… what is that!?” asked Ishida as the others looked back to see the cause of my outburst.

“That's `Seimichio'! He's the `janitor' that comes out every seven days…” said Yoruichi as she continued to watch the rapid approach of the giant cleaner.

“But why today, right?” I asked as I flashed Yoruichi a smile. “Anyway, let's get out of here! He's really fast!”

“Hurry! We're almost there!” shouted Yoruichi as the exit came into sight.

A quick look over my shoulder told me that Seimichio was just a few steps behind us. I took another look when I heard Ichigo start to call out Inoue's name to see her preparing to attack our pursuer.

“Himusaku! Umeigen! Ririi! Santenyuitate! I repel thee!” shouted Inoue, three fairies appearing in front of her to form a shield.

“No!” I shouted as I turned around, but it was too late.

My arm shot up to protect my eyes as Seimichio collided with Inoue's shield, the impact sending us flying towards the exit. When the smoke cleared I saw we were lying on the ground, Inoue's shield underneath us. Everyone appeared to be okay, except for Ichigo who was doubled over.

“Whew!” said Inoue as she sat up. “You guy's alright? Everyone!” She went wild when she saw Ichigo. “Hah! Kurosaki's landing pose is so awesome!”

“You talk too much.” growled Ichigo as he began to sit up.

“Ow…” said Ishida as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head. “I really… didn't expect we would be so pathetic… totally unexpected. I didn't think I would use the backup cape so soon.”

We all watched in surprise as Ishida pulled out a spare cape and put it on. Inoue, on the other hand, was ecstatic that no one was hurt.

“It's great! It looks like no one is hurt!” said Inoue as Yoruichi head-butted her.

“What's so great about it!?” asked Yoruichi angrily as Inoue rubbed her face, her eyes full of tears from the pain. “Did you even hear what I said!? Good thing the shield was the only thing that touched Seimichio. If it was the main body of Rokka you would be dead!”

“Sorry…” said Inoue, looking extremely ashamed of herself.

“Cut her some slack, Yoruichi.” I said as I stood up and dusted myself off. “We're here aren't we?”

“It's fine! Why do you have to be so angry!?” asked Ichigo angrily as everyone else stood up. “We're all okay because of Inoue!”

“You… it seems as if you don't understand the situation!” growled Yoruichi, Ishida perking up in surprise.

“The smoke is clearing!” said Ishida, the smoke slowly revealing a nearby village.

“This… this is Soul Society?” asked Ichigo as we all started to walk into the village.

“Yeah.” said Yoruichi as I stepped over her.

“This is the outskirts, the “ryuutamashikai”. It's the place where souls live when they first come to Soul Society. It's located around the Seireitei. While it's the largest and poorest free area it is also the place where most souls live.” I said as I looked around, a sense of familiarity falling over me.

“But there isn't anyone…” started Ishida when Ichigo cut him off.

“Aya! What? Those streets over there aren't any different from the streets we live on.” said Ichigo.

“Uhh… that one…” said Yoruichi hesitantly as Ichigo started running towards them.

“I know! That should be where, those whatevers, shinigamis live in, right?” asked Ichigo as Yoruichi stopped in surprise. “I'm going first!”

“Ido-Idiot!” shouted Yoruichi angrily. “You can't go near there! You could die!”

Ichigo looked back at her, a skeptical look on his face, as he continued to run. I growled angrily as I slipped into flash step, grabbing him and pulling him out of the way before he was crushed by the falling gate.

“Moron!” I yelled as I dropped him, angry that our element of surprise had been spoiled.

“Kurosaki-kun!” cried Inoue as the dust surrounded us, hiding us from their sight. “Reijin-san!”

The wave of dust enveloped us as the rest of the gate fell into place, surrounding our target destination. When the dust cleared I began to pull Ichigo to his feet, but then I heard a voice that I had hoped we wouldn't have to.

“It's been such a long time since someone has tried to go through Torureimon without a pass.” said Jidanbou as both Ichigo and I looked up at him. “Finally, I have something to do. I'll treat you nice kid.”

“Shit.” I cursed under my breath as my hand strayed to my zanpakuto. “Get out of the way Ichigo.”

A flash of energy flared as Jidanbou drew one of his axes, a chuckle escaping his lips. I was impressed that Ichigo hadn't even moved a muscle, although that could be due to either bravery or stupidity. Based on his earlier actions l was leaning towards the latter.

“Bring it on! Attack from whatever angle you want kiddo!” shouted Jidanbou, a huge grin on his face.

From behind me I could hear Yoruichi calling for us to retreat, but I didn't think Ichigo heard her. A sudden change in her pitch caused me to turn around to see Sado and Inoue running toward us.

“Chad! Orihime! Didn't you guys hear me!? Come back!” shouted Yoruichi, the two teenagers ignoring her summons.

Jidanbou's notice shifted from Ichigo to the charging duo as they approached, one swing from his axe halting them. When the dust cleared Jidanbou peered over the wall he had created with his swing, looking annoyed at their sudden intrusion.

“Your behavior sickens me. Are you from an uncivilized area? Listen! This city has rules!” said Jidanbou as he began to tick them off on his fingers. “First, wash your hands when you come home. Second, no eating food that has fallen on the ground. Third, a duel is nothing else but one-on-one. My first opponent will be that spiked orange head, triangle eyed kid and my second will be the girl with the black hair. Before I am finished with him, you guys standing there should keep quiet. Since you are visitors here, you should follow the rules of this city.”

A sigh of relief escaped me as it became clear Jidanbou was going to go about this fairly. I only hoped that Sado and Inoue wouldn't try to pull anything. That hope was dashed to the ground when I heard Sado start whispering.

“Orihime. I'll make a hole in the wall. Take that chance and attack him…” whispered Sado as I slipped out of flash step behind him.

“You will do no such thing!” I growled angrily as I seized him by the back of the shirt. “I will be the one to step in if things go too far! We do not need anymore enemies than we already have right now!”

“At least one of you has good morals.” said Jidanbou, his look showing he had obviously heard our conversation.

“Hey! Chad! Orihime!” came Ichigo's voice over the wall.

“Kurosaki-kun! Are you okay!? Are you hurt!?” asked Inoue.

“Oh, I'm okay!” shouted Ichigo back.

“Hold on a sec, we're almost over there!” shouted Inoue and I gritted my teeth. Do these people not listen when other people talk?

“Ah, I just wanted to talk to you about that! Chad and you just stay there. Don't do anything, alright!?” shouted Ichigo and I released Chad.

“Er… What are you talking about Kurosaki-kun!? If…” started Inoue, startled that Ichigo did not want help.

“Don't worry! Wait there…”

“What are you talking about!?” shouted Ishida angrily, surprising both Inoue and me with his sudden approach. “You've seen for yourself how strong Jidanbou's power is! I don't care what you have learned in the past ten days! He is not the type you can handle by yourself!”

“Ah, there you are Ishida!” called back Ichigo, sounding surprised it had taken the Quincy so long to come over.

“I've been here since the beginning!? Do you want to piss me off!?” asked Ishida angrily, causing me to snap.

“Do you want to see pissed!?” I yelled at him as I started poking him in the chest. “I'll show you pissed! I was sent here to keep all of you alive, but I can't do that if all of you are going off and doing idiotic things every few seconds! Now sit down and shut up before I beat you so badly you can't do anything else!” All three teenagers dropped to the ground. “Good! Now stay there!”

“You are so noisy.” said Ichigo over the wall.

“Can you fight?” asked Sado, cautiously looking over at me as he did so.

“Possibly.” returned Ichigo.

“What the hell is possibly!?” screeched Ishida, jumping to his feet in his anger. “Do you realize the situation you're in!?”

“I said sit down and shut up!” I yelled as I grabbed him and shoved him into a sitting position. “Do any of you actually listen to what I say!?”

“I said don't worry. Do you want to know what I've learned in the past ten days? I'll show you.” said Ichigo reassuringly before continuing. “The original plan was for me to recover in ten days but, actually, I recovered by the fifth day. During the five days that I had left, what do you think I did?”

“What… what did you do?” asked Ishida, shocked at what he was hearing. I was just happy he hadn't started yelling again. At this rate I didn't know how long it was going to be before I killed one of them myself. Even the Captain had never been this bad when it came to something this important.

“Fighting of course! Fighting!” said Ichigo as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “During those five days, day and night I fought with that tall hat guy!”

“Ah… so he taught you all his battle skills?” asked Ishida, almost starting to get up when he caught my eye.

“You are wrong! He taught me absolutely nothing!” shouted Ichigo proudly and Ishida's jaw dropped. “But, inexhaustible energy and courage… I am armed with both of them for the first time!”

“Are you finished?” asked Jidanbou.

“I'm ready.” said Ichigo cockily. “I don't remember asking you to wait for me.”

“Seems as if you are one of the uncivilized people. So disrespectful. I wasted my time waiting for you…” said Jidanbou, my eyes widening when I felt him release his reiatsu. “You should be grateful!”

“Ichigo!” I shouted as the ground shook with the impact from Jidanbou's strike.

I drew Honorable Ruler, ready to end this thing before Ichigo sustained anymore damage. As I readied to slip into flash step the sudden surge of Ichigo's reiatsu shocked me into stillness. There was no way he could still be alive after an attack from Jidanbou, not at his level of skill.

“How… how could you…” stuttered Jidanbou.

“I wasn't ready yet. What you did is by no means courteous.” said Ichigo calmly and I couldn't help but smile as I resheathed Honorable Ruler. Maybe this kid did stand a chance against the guardian of the west gate, who had incidentally started laughing.

“What is he laughing at?” asked Ishida, looking at me questioningly.

“Apparently you have no idea how boring it can be guarding one of the gates of Torureimon.” I said, almost chuckling myself as Jidanbou continued.

“You're not bad! This is great! It's been awhile since someone could block my axe! Okay, this way, I can finally use all of my strength!” shouted Jidanbou, releasing a blast of his reiatsu to prove his point. “Good luck kiddo. Until now there have only been three people who could block my axe, including you. But the ones who can block my second… there has been none! Take this!”

Another surge of reiatsu marked the clashing of their blades, the shockwave causing the ground to quake again.

“Hehe! Great! You're still standing!” shouted Jidanbou as his reiatsu spiked again. “But I'm not finished yet! Now die! Jutsu Pon Jidan Damatsuri Da!”

I flinched as I felt the reiatsu of each strike, Jidanbou counting each off. Seeing the look on my face Ishida asked, “What happened?”

Suddenly the wall created by Jidanbou began to break apart, the rock unable to take the reiatsu. Drawing Honorable Ruler I slipped into flash step, destroying any rock that came close to striking my charges. When Jidanbou had finished with his attack I noticed he was breathing heavy, or at least, much heavier than he should have been. As the smoke cleared I couldn't help but gasp as I saw Ichigo, not a mark on him from Jidanbou's most powerful attack.

“How… how can… how… how can you still be standing?” asked Jidanbou, just as shocked as I was.

“He… he is still standing.” said Inoue happily. “Ichigo… Ichigo is still standing… Ichigo!”

“Don't distract him.” I cautioned as the three got to their feet to avoid some of the dust.

“Are you finished yet?” asked Ichigo as he lowered his sword. “Then it's my turn now!”

“N-No! It's still early!” stumbled Jidanbou as he pulled out his second axe again. “I'm not done yet!”

“Second axe!” said Ishida in disbelief.

We could only watch as Jidanbou powered up again, this time his reiatsu tearing the shoulders of his uniform. When he was sufficiently powered up he cried, “Take this! My final attack! Banzai Jidan Damatsuri!”

“Sorry. I'll have to break your axes.” said Ichigo before striking, destroying Jidanbou's axes even though they were in mid-swing.

I watched in shock as the force of Ichigo's swing knocked Jidanbou over. At first I had been skeptical of his power, but now it wouldn't surprise me if he had more power than even the Captain.

“What… what happened?” asked Jidanbou, flat on his back.

“Wha-What has Kurosaki done?” asked Ishida, looking to me for an answer that I didn't have.

“That giant… that great body… got blasted away.” said Sado, almost reverently.

Jidanbou blinked several times before jumping to his feet, a look of childlike glee on his face.

“Puah! That was really dangerous! I just got distracted for a second, and then found myself completely knocked down!” laughed Jidanbou and I breathed a sigh of relief. There was a pretty good chance that he would open the gate in his current mood. “Ah? What an expression? Did you really think you had defeated me? Haha! Don't be so silly! That I would be defeated by a guy like you! That's why I hate these uncivilized ones! Hold on. Right now I will use my… axe…”

He trailed off as he looked down at his right hand to see the axe head had been completely blown off. A look of surprise came over him as he looked at his left hand, finding that axe also ruined. He looked back and forth between the two, as if it would magically fix them.

“A-Axe? My axe!? Where is my axe!? My… axe…” said Jidanbou, tears coming to his face.

Ichigo looked scared at Jidanbou's sudden transformation, the latter slamming his fist into the ground like a little child.

“It's broken!? It's broken! You bastard! My axe! It's all your fault!” cried Jidanbou as he curled into a ball on the ground.

“Is… he crying now? What on earth happened to him?” asked Ishida as I slipped into flash step and stopped behind Ichigo.

“Good work kid.” I said as I patted his shoulder, but he didn't seem to notice.

“Er… bit strange to say, but… sorry for damaging your axe… I shouldn't have broken both your axes… should I?” said Ichigo apologetically as he tried to comfort the sobbing guardian.

“You… you are such…” sobbed Jidanbou as he looked up, Ichigo shocked to see him crying so much. “You are such a good guy! I am your foe… I lost the battle but you still care about me! You are such a great guy!” cried Jidanbou as he reached out to give Ichigo a hug. “You have such a generous personality!”

I shot Ichigo a look when he began to mumble in return, “Actually, I just wanted to soothe your sadness since you're crying so hard…”

“On the contrary, what am I doing crying like a baby only because of a broken axe!? I lost… I lost completely!” shouted Jidanbou as he stood back up. “Both as a fighter and as a man I was utterly defeated!” shouted Jidanbou before wiping his tears with the back of his hand. “I have been the gatekeeper of the Hakutou Gate for 300 years. I have never lost a battle. You are the first…” he said quietly before wiping away the rest of the tears. “Go inside! I, Jidanbou , grant you permission to pass through the Hakudou Gate!”

“Oh! Are you serious!?” asked Ichigo and I at the same time, I thinking it was going to take a little more force before he'd willingly open the gate.

“Are you sure you can allow passage?” asked Inoue as she walked forward, sensing the battle was done.

“Yes, your boss defeated me. A loser like me will not be able to stand in your way.” said Jidanbou cheerfully as Ishida stepped forward, looking livid.

“Did you say boss!?” asked Ishida, his face bright red as he pointed angrily at Ichigo. “What nonsense!”

“Is it necessary to get so angry?” asked Ichigo.

“You need to chill out, Quincy.” I said as I took a few steps forward, pushing a piece of hair out of my face. “Don't forget he's the one who got us passage into the Seireitei.”

“Is your name Kurosaki?” asked Jidanbou hesitantly.

“Correct. Kurosaki Ichigo.”

“Ichigo, what a lovely name.” said Jidanbou, referring to the meaning of strawberry.

“That's none of your business! It's by no means a lovely name!” said Ichigo angrily as Jidanbou turned and placed his hands on the gate.

“Take care of yourself Ichigo. I don't know the reason why you want to go through, but the warriors inside are all powerful guys.” warned Jidanbou.

“I know.” said Ichigo.

“I see. Then you'd better be prepared.” said Jidanbou before bending down before the gate. “Alright, I'm opening the gate now. Don't be astonished. Take a breath and run inside.”

With a grunt Jidanbou began to lift the gate, the process increasing in speed as he began to build up momentum. While I was used to the sight of the Seiteitei I couldn't help but gawk like the humans around me. I had almost forgotten how beautiful it was.

“The terrible strength…” said Ichigo, amazed that anyone could be that strong.

“The gate is opening up…” breathed Inoue as she watched in wonder.

“What's wrong? Why aren't you going in? Is something wrong?” asked Ichigo, though I already knew what it was.

The nostalgic reiatsu washed over me as I looked into the gate, Gin Ichimaru standing there. A snarl escaped me as my hand strayed to Honorable Ruler, many thoughts racing through my head.

Now that the bastard had seen me, I couldn't let him live. He'd report back to Aizen and set the Gotei 13 against me. I had made that gamble when I had agreed to come, though I didn't think it'd be coming back to haunt me so quickly. I also hadn't expected that he'd wormed his way up to Captain in my absence. That made things that much harder for me.

“Who is this guy?” asked Ichigo.

“The Captain of the Third Division.” said Jidanbou, his voice full of fear. “Ichimaru Gin!”

“Ah, this is not allowed.” said Ichimaru in that quiet voice of his.

I saw his hand begin to move and I knew I'd have to be quick if I wanted to save Jidanbou's life. As his hand sliced up I slipped into flash step, slipping out just in time to deflect the attack with Honorable Ruler. The smell of blood filled my nostrils and I cursed angrily. Jidanbou's enormous bulk provided a much bigger target than I was used to guarding, the deflected attack slicing his arm off at the shoulder inside of cutting his torso in two.

“That's too bad.” continued Ichimaru with his customary smile on his face. “You are a gatekeeper. Opening the door is not your duty.”

As I landed I could hear Jidanbou struggling for breath, the weight of the gate becoming too much for him. He let out a cry of agony as a particularly large amount of blood sprayed out of his wound.

“What… what the hell did he do!?” asked Ichigo, he and Ishida stunned by the strength of his attack.

“Stay back!” I shouted, Honorable Ruler still in my hand as I blocked their path. “He's extremely dangerous!”

“Ah, Reijin! You've returned!” said Ichimaru, the smile on his face not at all to my liking. “Aizen has been waiting patiently for you!”

“Fuck off Ichimaru!” I snarled angrily, my free hand clenching into a fist.

With a grunt Jidanbou sank to his knees, now supporting the gate with his one remaining arm and his shoulders.

“Oh, you can still hold the door even with one hand.” said Ichimaru as his focus changed from me to the struggling gatekeeper. “No wonder you're one of the elites in Soul Society. However, you still fail as a guardian.”

Jidanbou looked angry at himself, though he didn't move from his position under the gate. A quick glance behind me told me that the little pattering sounds I had been hearing were Yoruichi's feet.

“Because I lost… the guardian opens the door when he loses.” said Jidanbou almost proudly. “It's only natural!”

“What idiotic rules are you talking about?” asked Ichimaru, startling Jidanbou into silence. “You misunderstood. Even when the guardian loses, the guardian may still not open the door.” said Ichimaru as he started to slowly walk forward. “If the `guardian' lost, then that would mean he must be executed.”

“Shit! Ichigo, no!” I shouted as Ichigo shot past me, Ichimaru drawing Shinsou to fend off the attack.

Mine and Yoruichi's jaws dropped as Ichigo jumped back, making chopping motions with his zanpakuto before saying, “What do you think you're doing punk!? We won against Jidanbou fair and square and you just pop out of nowhere and start attacking!” My pulse quickened as Ichimaru smiled that sickly sweet smile of his. “Inoue… please look after Jidanbou's arm.”

“Ok-okay!” said Inoue.

“Come.” said Ichigo as his hold tightened on his zanpakuto. “If you're so eager to fight, then I will be your opponent. For a no good punk like you who attacks an unarmed person so hastily, I will rip you apart!”

“Ichigo, no!” I shouted angrily. “He's too strong. I will fight him!”

“Ha! You're such an interesting guy. Aren't you afraid of me?” asked Ichimaru before looking at me. “Your friends are so quick-tempered, Reijin. If I were you I'd kill one of them so they would listen better when you tell them what to do.”

“Shut your damn mouth, Ichimaru. If you're going to fight someone, then fight me. They have nothing to do with this.” I said, my anger having developed to the point where it had cooled to cruel malice.

“Absolutely not!” shouted Ichigo, affronted that someone would call him afraid.

“Oi!” shouted Yoruichi from her position by my left leg. “Stop messing around, Ichigo! Let's retreat first! Reijin is the only one here in any position to fight him!”

“What for!? I just got started!” shouted Ichigo as he turned around.

“So you're Kurosaki Ichigo…” said Ichimaru.

“You know me?” asked Ichigo, startled that someone like Ichimaru would know his name.

“So… he does exist…” said Ichimaru as he turned and started walking away.

“Huh? Oi! Where are you going!?” asked Ichigo angrily as he turned back around.

“If that's the case, then I definitely can't let you pass.” said Ichimaru as he held out Shinsou, continuing to walk further away.

“Then why are you walking so far away!? Are you planning to throw that knife at me!?” asked Ichigo, Ichimaru's intentions suddenly hitting me.

“Ichigo, get out of there!” I shouted as I grabbed Ishida and Inoue before slipping into flash step.

“It's not called a knife.” said Ichimaru, whipping around as I slipped out further back, beside Sado.

“Shoot to death, Shinsou.” said Ichimaru, his voice almost a hiss as Shinsou began to grow at an amazing speed.

Ichigo's eyes widened as the blade came shooting towards him, throwing up his sword just in time to save himself. He was swept off his feet and slammed into Jidanbou, knocking the guardian loose and sending both of them flying outside the gate.

“Kurosaki-kun!” shouted Inoue as she turned to see if he was alright.

“Oh no!” cried Yoruichi, causing everyone to look back at the gate. “The door is closing!”

“Bye-bye!” said Ichimaru as he waved through the rapidly depleting doorway. “We'll be waiting Reijin!”

“Open this door, you fucking son of a bitch!” I screamed as I began to hammer on the door. “Open it you bastard! Damn it! You fucking snake! Open this god-damn door!”

I hit the door one last time before sinking to my knees, stabbing Honorable Ruler into the ground to try and relieve some of the anger. All was lost. They knew I was here, and I knew they wouldn't stop until they had caught me.

“FUCK!”

 

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Once again I want to thank anihana for the wonderful review and I just want to remind the rest of you that reviews are welcome. Remember, just constructive criticism only please.