We last left off with Y/N as he finished his fight with Zennosuke by releasing the shikai of his zanpakuto.
"The light was over that way!"
"It must be the enemy!"
The result of which ended with you and Zennosuke being engulfed by the light of Kirisame.
"Quickly! Don't let them get away!"
Immediately afterwards, dozens of shots would shoot out from the flash of light and hit the general surrounding area.
"Hey! Up ahead! I see something!"
"Huh!?"
"What the—!?"
The light would have long since died down before any of the surrounding shinigami got close the area. When they got there, they would see that the road had collapsed into the sewer system below. Seems like your and Zennosuke's abuse of the ground had weakened its structure, with your zanpakuto release giving the final push to its destruction.
Off to the side, they would see an injured, and unconscious, Zennosuke sat up against the wall of said sewer. The upper body of his clothes had been completely ripped off and used as makeshift bandages to patch up his upper arms and chest.
......
Somewhere In The Sewer
Y/N:...*pant*...*pant*...Damn...it...*pant*
You can be seen jogging sluggishly through the sewers. Just like Zennosuke, the upper body of your outfit had also been ripped off and used as makeshift bandages.
After tending to your and Zennosuke's wounds, you noticed that nearby shinigami were drawn in close to your location. Given your fatigue, there's no way you could take them on right now, you had no choice but to go underground.
Y/N:...I thought...I held back enough...back there......but my attack still pierced through...
As it stands, anytime you release Kirisame, you can feel your spirit energy be forcefully taken from you by the blade. Because of this, the blade automatically lights up and shoots indiscriminately in random directions, which caused both you and Zennosuke to be heavily injured.
Y/N: Let's find....another exit....for now....
......
Hanatarou: Ah, you're awake. Ichigo-san.
Ichigo: Hanatarou....where...?
Hanatarou: Please stay still, your wounds haven't healed yet.
Ichigo: Wounds...that's right...I was fighting Renji......——!!
Ichigo remembers his fight with Renji and suddenly gets up. Hanatarou tries to talk him into resting, but Ichigo ignores him and slowly walks off. However, not long after, they both hear footsteps down the path.
Y/N: Ichigo....so you....were here—*geh*!
Ichigo:—!! Y/—!
In the span of two seconds, both you and Ichigo got clocked mid-sentence. Ichigo goes unconscious while you manage to stay conscious. You stay on the ground because of exhaustion though.
Y/N:~~~~~~~~~~fucking ow....
Hanatarou: G-Ganju-san!?
Ganju: What? I managed to stop him didn't I?
Hanatarou: But you didn't have to give him another injury though.....
Ganju: Shut up! You got a problem with the way I do things!?
Y/N:💢Want me to answer that...?💢
You and Ganju get ready to throw hands right before Hanatarou intervenes.
Hanatarou: P-Please don't do anything rash!
Y/N: Huh?
Hanatarou: I mean, you were injured from fighting the intruders right? I promise these guys aren't with them, so can you please head back and have other members of squad 4 treat your wounds? Maybe don't mention that we're down here?
Ganju:....
Y/N:....
Hanatarou:....please?
Y/N:...there's no way you guys rescued the wrong person.
Hanatarou: Eh?
Ganju: We haven't rescued anyone yet idiot.
Y/N: Then who is this?
......
Y/N: Ok, I think I get it now.
You and Ganju are sitting on the ground while Hanatarou finishes patching you up with proper bandages. Ichigo has been laid down not too far from you guys. It was just explained to you how Hanatarou got dragged along, as well as his reason for helping to rescue Rukia.
Y/N: So aside from the plus one, anything else happen on your way here? I seriously doubt that some regular shinigami could've done in Ichigo like this.
Ganju: It was smooth sailing until we got near the center of Soul Society. A damn Lieutenant was just sitting there waiting for us.
Hanatarou: It was awful, there were too many close calls where Ichigo could've died. If not for his mask, his injuries could have been worse.
Y/N:...? Mask? What mask?
Hanatarou then takes out Ichigo's hollow mask and gives it to you.
Y/N: This is...the one during training...?
Hanatarou: So a keepsake? I'm not sure if it's my place to say this...but I don't think it's good to hold onto something like that. it feels way too ominous.
Y/N:......
Ganju:...?
Hanatarou:...Umm...Y/N...? Hello...?
You sit there unresponsive. You are so engrossed in inspecting the mask that you don't even hear of anyone anymore. The curves and design, as well as the overall feeling that the mask gives. Despite feeling uncomfortable, you keep staring at it, as if you were looking for something.
Ganju: Hey idiot!
Y/N: Huh?
Ganju: Stop staring at that thing and listen when someone talks to you.
Y/N: oh, sorry......yeah, no.
You then toss the mask into the sewage system.
Y/N: I seriously doubt that he has any emotional attachment to that thing. Hell, I don't think I even saw him bring it with him when we left the human world.
Y/N: Anyway, I'm more interested in the lieutenant that you guys fought. So, how high is the bar and was Ichigo able to make it?
Ganju: Yeah, he was able to beat a lieutenant, though just barely.
Y/N: We're they that powerful, or was their zanpakuto just troublesome?
Hanatarou: Abarai Renji, he was definitely really strong, but luckily Ichigo managed to surpass him at the very end.
Y/N: Renji......hold on! The red head with the snake like sword!?
Ganju: You know him too?
Y/N: Hardly, he just happened to be one of the two who took Rukia from us.
Ganju: I see, that explains why the fight was so personal then.
Y/N: But are you sure he's a lieutenant? Back then, me and Ichigo managed to overwhelm him before either one of us had proper training.
Hanatarou: Anytime a lieutenant or captain goes to the world of living, they have to get their power suppressed. This is so that they don't cause any disturbances to the souls on the living world.
Y/N: Disturbances huh? And just how much stronger are they without the restriction?
......
The Next Morning
Y/N: Five times!? You're telling me that all the higher-ups are five times stronger than what we were expecting!?
Ichigo: That's what I said, now would shut up already.
Y/N: Does this information really not concern you!?
Ichigo: Nope. Not at all.
Y/N: Wha—?!
You stand there absolutely baffled at how uncaring Ichigo is towards this new found information. All while everyone else prepares to head out of the sewers.
Y/N:(That block head! Doesn't he understand how bad that is!? He beat Renji, great. Fantastic. But he still got beat up didn't he!?)
Y/N:(That just means that we're at the level of a lieutenant. We'd get smoked the moment we ran into a captain. The one we fought in the human world, I couldn't comprehend what happened back then. And now he's at least five time stronger as well. Just how—)
Ichigo: Y/N.
Y/N: Huh?
Ichigo: Quit worrying so much about it. We got this far to save Rukia. Regardless of how strong they are, there's no going back now. We just need to make sure we're stronger from this point on, got it? Or are you too much of a coward to do that?
Y/N:💢...haaaaaah~~?💢
Y/N: And just who are you calling a coward!? If you ask me, ignoring such important information is the same thing as trying to escape reality. Therefore, the coward here is you!
Ichigo: Still good at making up excuses huh? If you got nothing important to say, then let's go.
......
Center of Soul Society, Top of the Stairs
Ganju: No guards here either?
Y/N: Are they confident? Or is everyone else making that much of a ruckus around Soul Society?
Ichigo: Who cares, let's just charge straight in there—
You all suddenly break into a cold sweat as an ominous presence fills the air. An enormous spiritual pressure fills the area, causing your chest to tighten up a bit.
Ichigo: dammit...run! I can't exactly figure out what's going on, but I'm sure that someone very strong is nearby! Before they find us, let's run as far as we can!
You all run as fast as possible, with Ichigo leading the way and you covering the back.
......
Y/N:(Where...dammit where!? No matter how far we run, this pressure is constantly around us. Like a predator stalking its prey.)
Eventually, Hanatarou's endurance reaches its limit and his legs give out. As you run past, you manage to grab, hoist him up, and wrap an arm around his waist. You continue to run while carrying him by your side.
Y/N: Come on man, don't go dying on us yet.
Hanatarou: S-sorry, I'm just out of energy...
The group runs on for a bit longer before a low and sinister voice resounds from an unknown direction.
???: Are you it?
You stop and look around in panic only for your eyes to land on Ichigo, and the scary figure behind him.
Y/N:(Shit!!!) Show—!
You reach for your zanpakuto with your free hand, only to feel the rip and tear of your own skin. It's as if a blade, in a single swipe, had completely shredded through your arms and torso.
The next moment, your consciousness catches up and, as you gasp for breath, see that your body is physically fine.
Y/N:(What's going on......what happened......was that attack real......or not...?)
You notice that you had dropped Hanatarou out of reflex, and see him laying on the ground, skin pale, paralyzed in fear. And just ahead of you, Ganju had been forced to take a knee.
Yachiru: Waa—— Ken-chan really scared them! Poor things~!
You watch a little girl with pink hair balance on Ichigo's shoulder for a second, before Ichigo forces her off.
Ichigo: Ganju! Y/N! Take Hanatarou and get out of here! I'll try to stop this guy, so go and rescue Rukia!
Ganju: B-By yourself!?
Y/N: Are you insane!?
Ichigo: Shut up! Just go!
Ganju:...Alright then...
Ganju grabs Hanatarou, lugs him over the shoulder, and dashes off.
Y/N: Wha-!? Hey, I never agreed to this!.... dammit. Hold out for as long as you can Ichigo! As soon as we rescue Rukia, I'll come back to help you!
With that, you chase after Ganju.
......
It has been a while since leaving Ichigo to deal with the enemy, and since then a few things had happened. Hanatarou had woken up and regained consciousness. Which was good and all, but with it, he strongly urged everyone to go back and help Ichigo. It would be then that he'd reveal the identity of Ichigo's opponent.
Kenpachi Zaraki
Captain of the 11th Division
The very fact that he was a captain had you worried. Using what little you knew about Renji and Byakuya, you could gather that the difference between a lieutenant and captain was wide. But it wasn't until you encountered Kenpachi, when you truly understood that difference. Knowing that kind of power was in the hands of a savage killer, you knew that Ichigo stood no chance of winning.
But winning wasn't the plan now was it? If the plan was to take Kenpachi down, then you would have most definitely stayed to help. But time is of the essence, how long before another problem occurs. Ganju and Hanatarou could take care of small fry, but if a lieutenant or higher came along, then the only one who could deal with them is you, Chad, and Ichigo.
Suddenly, you feel as if something was missing. Like it was there one moment, then gone the next. When you realize it, you stop dead in your tracks and are filled with disbelief.
Ganju: Hey! The hell are you doing!
Y/N:...no way...
Ganju: "No way..." what? Look, if it's about Ichigo I already told you—
Y/N: No...it's not Ichigo...it's Chad...
Ganju: Huh? What about him?
Y/N:(You're lying right? There's no way. The entire time we've been here, I could feel that you've been dishing out large waves of spiritual energy so casually. Why did you suddenly drop? what could have stopped you?....Don't tell me...did you also...fight a captain...?)
Upon sensing a faint trace of Chad's spirit pressure remaining, you relax a bit at the fact that at least he is still alive.
Y/N:...I'm going back.
Hanatarou: Huh!?
Ganju: The hell are you saying!? That Kuchiki chick isn't that faraway. We can meet with Ichigo after—
Y/N: Ichigo is close, but everyone else is too far away! Just now, Chad was taken down. By who? I don't know, but it's safe to say that he's nowhere near the center of Soul Society. If I don't go now, who knows what could happen to him.
Ganju: Then the others can help him. We haven't seen them around here either, so they must be closer to him than us.
Y/N: And if they encounter a captain? I hate to say it, but if Chad got beat by a captain, then Ishida and Orihime stand no chance. We're here on a rescue mission, and it ain't a rescue mission if any of us die. I have to go there before they get found out too.
Ganju:...gah! Fine. But don't expect me to come help you afterwards! I already have to go help Ichigo afterwards. So if anything, expect Ichigo to save your ass.
Y/N: Thanks Ganju. Maybe you're not such a bastard after all.
Ganju: Huh!?
Before Ganju can say anything else, you sprint back the way you came.
......
Y/N:...Why...you too.....Ichigo...
When you ran back, you diverted from the original route you took in order to find a way around Ichigo's battle with Kenpachi. But somewhere along the way, just like Chad, Ichigo's spiritual pressure had also diminished. However, unlike Chad, Ichigo's spiritual was slowly fading away.
Y/N:...get up...Ichigo...
Y/N:(It's just me left. I'm just a single guy. I can't be helping everyone at once. Problems are just going to keep piling up from here on. We can't be having you drop now, so come on! Ichigo!)
Finally, Ichigo's spiritual pressure draws to a close and disappears, only to then burst to life in that same instant. Despite being far away, to be nowhere near them, the pressure from Ichigo's spirit had managed to reach you. It's strength had managed to go a bit further than what you felt from Kenpachi earlier.
Your nerves start reacting, the tension of your muscles grow, and your stiffened body makes it awkward to move. Though your biggest concern was just how Ichigo had managed to bounce to this level from death.
Y/N: Shit, are you trying to kill me through worry or your spirit? Jeez...
Y/N:(But honestly, to think the sky can be so high. The bare minimum required to face a captain sure is immense. Is this power natural? Or is it in a similar state like mine? Is the reason for this outburst because, you ended up losing control of your zanpakuto? What would that even look like?)
Your nerves go on high alert, as a new source of spiritual pressure comes over you. You look down the path to see the arrival of Byakuya Kuchiki. You speak out to him as he walks towards you.
Y/N: Out of everyone I can think of, you are probably the last person I wanted to meet today. Though, that goes for any captain at this point.
Byakuya:...
Y/N: Speaking of captains, I don't think any of us encountered any yesterday. Aside from a few hiccups, it was smooth sailing.
Byakuya:...
Y/N: But fast forward one night later, and suddenly there are captains popping up left and right. All at inconvenient times. So tell me...was this all planed?
Byakuya finally comes to a stop, leaving a fair distance between you two.
Byakuya:...I see no reason to waste any effort in planning the disposal of a few intruders. The actions of your group as been considered intolerable. As such, all captains have been given freedom to move out of their assigned positions. I only came here because I felt some faint spiritual pressure going towards the Senzaikyū. I thought it was someone strong holding back their spiritual pressure, but it turns out that it was nothing but a few insignificant bugs.
Y/N: So just bad luck huh?
You unsheathe you blades to take a stance.
Y/N: But well, you say bugs, but it seems that one of us bugs are giving one of your buddies a run for their money.
Byakuya: And in the end it means nothing. Despite being spared that night, you both came back knowing just how insignificant that power is.
Y/N: Don't judge what you haven't seen.
Byakuya: There is no need to see anything. You will understand when both your power, and your life, meet its end.
In the span of a second, you see Byakuya vanish and instantly recognize what's going on. It's the same strike he performed on Ichigo back in the world of the living. You move to intercept him and manage to divert the first thrust, not only grazing your neck, but also chipping away at the blade of your katana. As for the second strike, you actually manage to stop it with the wakizashi, but the force is too great and you get sent flying and tumbling down the path.
You stop yourself by stabbing the ground with your blades, but the katana gives out and breaks in two.
Y/N:(Dammit, not even a few minutes and it already broke. I hoped I could buy Ganju some extra time, but at this rate, I won't be able to hold him for more than five or ten minutes.)
Y/N: Well? How's that for insignificant?
Byakuya: And what of it? You may have survived, but to do so, you payed the cost with your zanpakuto.
Y/N: As if. I'll show you that this means nothing to this little one!
You dash towards him and swing your blades.
Y/N: Way of Binding No.4 - Hainawa!
At the moment of impact, a crackling yellow energy rope shoots from one hand and ties all three blades together. Although chant-less invocation is not that impressive, Byakuya is a bit surprised that someone of your level could do something like chantless invocation in the first place.
Y/N: Showoff! Kirisame!
Byakuya: !!
The area is covered in yellow light, and the road and buildings get riddled with holes as star shaped shots burst from the light.
Byakuya suddenly appears far down the path, outside the range of the yellow light. He casually dodges any shots that come his way.
The shots stop and the light dies down. It's revealed that the ground below you is now, more or less, like rubble. Your zanpakuto has restored itself to its shikai state. Smoke lingers off from a dozen spots on your body, indicating where exactly you got hit from your release. Out of all of them, only in a few places did the attack manage to break your skin/draw blood. Meanwhile, Byakuya only got hit twice. The damage is minimal and it doesn't faze him in the slightest.
Y/N:...Well so much for that plan. At least with this, this fight will go a lot smoother.
Byakuya: Foolish.
He suddenly appears in front of you and brings down his sword overhead. You go to block, but he uses far more force in his attacks. This forces you to change tactics and instead maneuver around his blade. You try to use the advantage of your dual-wielding zanpakuto, but his speed is so fast that any effort seems futile. Blades clash between you two, numerous times as you are slowly pushed back, until eventually Byakuya side-swipes hard enough to send you flying into the side of a tall stone building.
Y/N: guh....ok, let's try—
Suddenly, your strength leaves you as two overwhelming sources of spiritual pressure begin to rise.
Y/N: (Dammit! I should of taken this fight away from Ichigo's! Honestly, can't you two turn it down a notch!?)
You try to lift yourself off the wall, only to fail and drop your weapons instead as the spiritual of Byakuya also starts to rise.
Byakuya: Now do you understand? It matters not what you achieve. Whether it be the reclamation of shinigami power or the name of your zanpakuto. Anything you do will always amount to nothing.
He turns away from you and walks off.
Y/N: W-Where...do you think...you're going...?
Byakuya: To ensure that Kuchiki Rukia does not escape.
Panic wells up inside you. You finally lift off the wall and begin a slow and painful march after him. Not bothering to reach for your blades.
Y/N: (So what if I'm insignificant! It doesn't matter if I win here! As long as I can keep you here. As long as I can still move. I can at least buy them some more time!)
Eventually, Byakuya stops and turns back to face you.
Byakuya: It's unsightly to see a bug squirm for survival. Way of destruction No.4 Byakurai.
As soon as he fires off his attack, everything goes quiet. The spiritual pressure of both Ichigo and Kenpachi have severely diminished, signifying the end of their battle. You stand there with a small hole through your chest as the stone structure behind you collapses, completely burying your zanpakuto in rubble. Byakuya begins to walk off again as you fall to your knees, and then, on your back. You lay there for a while, just staring at the sky as you slowly bleed out. After a while, all color in your vision slowly fades to some shade of grey.
Y/N:(The sky sure is high...huh Ichigo?)
Y/N:(...sorry Kosuzu. Seems like I couldn't keep my promise. If you can, don't cry too much about it.)
Y/N/:(...Aya, I don't expect you to keep my body. Feel free to leech off of hat shop. But if you can, can you break the news to my dad? Maybe stay with him till he gets over it?)
Footsteps approach you and the figure of a little blonde girl enters your vision. A moment passes as she just stares down at you with a troubled expression. You feel a bit awkward, you managed to get this far only to drop it at the end. You can't think of anything to say.
Marisa: Is that it? I didn't even get to do anythin'-ze.
Y/N:(You fucking shot me...)
Never mind, you had one thing to say.
Marisa: But that wasn't my fault! You keep messin' up every time we try to do anythin'!
Y/N:(The hell are you on about...?)
Marisa: Since day 1, you've been always cuttin' me off and tryin' to do everythin' yourself~ze!
Marisa: We're a team know? Carryin' each other, pushin' the other, that sort of stuff. Zanpakuto need to use the power of their shinigami to do anythin'. Because you keep holdin' out on me, I can't make those lights as strong as their supposed to be. That's probably a good thing though, considerin' you keep hittin' yourself~ze.
Y/N:(I wasn't...wrong then—)
Marisa: And that's another thing! You're so focused on "keeping me controlled" that you're not focusin' on your own job! The way it works is, it's up to me to use your power and it's up to you to use mine~ze.
Marisa: Understand? If we work together like that, then I can do a lot more than a few bright lights. I can get you off the ground and help with your wounds. Do all sorts of magic.
She walks past you and stands by the rubble, and as she does, color slowly returns to your vision.
Marisa: Who knows? Maybe I can help you reach the sky too? Doesn't that sound like fun, daze~?
Y/N:(.....)
......
We cut back to Byakuya as he has gained a considerable amount of distance away from you just by walking. He stops when he suddenly hears a low rumble, and turns back to see that your zanpakuto has emerged from the large pile of rubble. Immediately after, your zanpakuto flies towards your body, and just before it reaches you, your body is engulfed in a bright yellow light. Nothing shoots out from this light, instead it just continues to grow bigger and brighter, and with it, so does your spiritual pressure.
In a flash, the light goes out to show you standing there, hand n hand with your zanpakuto. Your wounds are still there, but they have stopped bleeding.
Marisa:(Well? How is it~ze?)
Y/N:*...siiiiiigh* (...still hard to breathe, but...
Way~ better than before.)
You turn towards Byakuya and the both of you stare off against each other. Neither utter a single word.
Byakuya:(...So that's how it is. Just like back then. If either of those two are left alone with even a sliver of their life then, through some odd means, they will get back up.)
Y/N:(Kirisame.)
Marisa:(Hmm?)
Y/N:(A big problem with this guy is his speed. Don't suppose you can help me keep up?)
Marisa:(Faster huh? I got just the thin'~ze!)
Byakuya:(Then I'll just have to make sure, before moving on, that he completely dies.)
Marisa:(There, give it a good swing!)
Byakuya: Way of destruction No.4 Byakurai.
Byakuya aims straight at your head this time and fires a bolt of lightning. From you, a low sizzling sound (*zzzzzzt*) followed by a pop can be heard briefly. Just as his attack reaches you, you swing diagonally upwards at a speed you couldn't possibly track. Before you knew it, you had completely deflected the bolt of lightning. The bolt pierces through a stone building, causing it to collapse.
Y/N:...yeah....Yeah! That's more like it!
Byakuya:...!!
You sprint towards with new found confidence. As you approach, Byakuya responds by flash stepping in front of you and goes to slash. To his surprise, you block his attack with little effort unlike before. Before he realized it, you had already moved to attack with your other blade.
He dodges by flash stepping away from you as you immediately give chase. You both get locked in what some would call a meaningless battle. His foot work is far superior to yours, making it so that it is impossible for you to hit him, let alone catch up.
On the other hand, he is having trouble getting past your blades. It's not like your swordsmanship is in any way better than his. It's just, for some reason, the very act of a simple swing is much faster than what you should be capable of. On top of that, the fact that you're dual wielding gives you more leeway to counter against him than he does against you.
This goes on for a while before reverting back to a stare down. Both plotting their next move.
Y/N:(Well at least I'm not dying, but is there any way to make me go faster?)
Marisa:(Well, I can drag you along if that works for you. Just take aim at him, make sure that the long blade is reeled back. Then, when you see an openin', thrust~ze!)
Byakuya: This has gone on long enough.
You get into position and you can hear the sizzling from before.
Byakuya: Scatter, Senbonzakura.
Y/N:(There!)
As you thrust forward, a loud crackling can be heard as you basically shoot off towards Byakuya. You had no idea where his blade went, nor did you care. Right now he had nothing to defend himself. If you were going to strike, now is the time.
You hold on for dear life, gaining a few cuts, as you fly past Byakuya. He had managed to ward you off in the nick of time by partially reforming his blade. This in turn, causes you to fly off into the air.
Byakuya looks up at your fleeting figure as his zanpakuto continues to reform. He lifts his hand...
Byakuya: Way of destruction No.33 Sokatsui.
......
Y/N: Stop stop stop stop stop stop stop—!
Eventually, the energy in your zanpakuto dies down, leaving you to glide in the air.
Y/N: *Whew* finally. Now, how do I —
Without warning, you are hit with a torrent of blue energy, causing you to fly even further through the sky.
————————————————————————
Alright, I'm gonna cut this chapter here because I've been meaning to publish it since the middle of October.
The main reason being, I suck at writing fight scenes. I always feel like the pacing is off or something. I don't know, I'm also the kind of person to write things down in one go. No rough drafts or anything like that. On thing I've learned while writing this chapter is that I really need to expand my vocabulary. My brain is a lot smaller than I thought.
On the plus side, fall semester is about to end so I'll have a lot more time on my hands. Hopefully.
Anyway, onto some small updates.
I have decided not to do the New Captain arc. As much as I would have liked to, I don't really have a good place to put it. As of right now, I plan on doing the Zanpakuto arc after the Soul Society arc. Then after that, the Arrancar arc, and it goes without saying that, once the Arrancar arc starts it doesn't stop. It also doesn't make any sense to put it after either. Maybe I'll make a what-if in a future Bunbunmaru article, but don't get your hopes up.
Also, to those of you asking about the Master Spark (you know who you are) don't worry, I'm saving it. It would be a literal crime to have Marisa but no spark.
As always, tell me what you guys think.
[Dec 2, 2023] Published