"So, you fought against three seated officers?", Ichigo began as the four of us sat in the sewers, Hanataro sitting off by himself and Ganju relaxing against the wall while I sat cross-legged in between the two of them.
"Yep, the first two were pretty easy to beat since it felt as if they were mostly trying to knock me out or at least incapacitate me in some way. The last though was going for the kill and nothing else."
"Huh, the seated officer I fought from Division 11 was kind of the same, but he didn't seem to care for capturing me and only wanted to win a fight against me."
"T-That's how most of Division 11 is. T-They're all people that just want to fight," Hanataro spoke up and Ichigo hummed at that before we looked at Ganju as he spoke up.
"Bah! I'm still calling bullshit on that. You expect me to believe you fought an entire Division along with three of their seated officers and the Kido Corps? Yeah, you can go try and sell that to someone else."
"Eh, not expecting you to believe that. Besides, I'm sure you'll hear about it when we get back up top. However, I have to admit that I don't know what happened to the others."
"Last I saw, Uryu and Orihime left together and Chad went on his own just a few minutes after you. Yoruichi on the other hand…I have no clue where she went."
"That's good. Yoruichi is the hardest to find out of us and she'll survive on her own," I spoke up and Ichigo nodded before I looked over to Hanataro and sighed as he flinched the second he saw me looking at him.
"You know you can sit with us, right? We're not going to hurt you and if either of them try to, I'll hit them with a nuke."
"You don't have someone of that capacity…right?", Ichigo asked with a look and I simply smirked before shrugging.
"Not a nuke, but more of an explosion that disassembles any matter caught in it."
"…Where the hell did you learn that?"
"From the Kido Corps' archives after I raided them."
"Of course you did. How long are we going to stay in here?", Ganju asked as he leaned back and I shrugged while taking a deep breath and letting out slowly.
"Don't know. It depends on how long it takes for them to stop looking for us."
"Oh, so forever? Yeah, we're not doing that. Hey, Hanataro, where the hell is this prison?"
"O-Oh, the pathway to the prison is just about four manholes up ahead."
"I wanted us to rest for a bit longer, but I suppose wasting time down here isn't a good thing," I muttered as I stood up, everyone else doing the same before I looked to Ichigo as he placed Zangetsu on his back.
"I have this feeling that someone's going to be waiting for us there so if there is someone, you guys make sure to get away."
"Think we're going to keep you back, Mr. Strawberry?"
"Yes and also, my name doesn't mean Strawberry! It means 'the one who protects'!", Ichigo exclaimed with a glare before growling as I chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
"Sure it does. Anyway, time to go, team!"
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"You see anybody?", Ganju whispered up to me, but I ignored him as I looked in front of me, not surprised to see the spiky red-haired Renji already awaiting while tapping his sword against his shoulder.
However, what I was surprised about was the sight of the blonde guy standing next to him, part of his hair combed over his left eye while he was dressed in the standard Shinigami uniform with the lieutenant badge around his left arm.
Izuru Kira didn't seem to have his usual bored look in his eyes as he looked around, his one visible eye narrowed as he rested a hand on the hilt of his katana.
'Well, this is crap,' I thought with a sigh as I slowly closed the cover and dropped back down, landing with a grunt before shaking my head as Ichigo looked at me.
"Two lieutenants up there. One is the red-haired guy you spoke of."
"Renji…good. What about the other guy?"
"Blonde guy, part of his hair over his left eye. Looks kind of bored and angry at the same time."
"T-That's Lt. Kira, the lieutenant for the Third Division," Hanataro spoke up and Ganju smirked as he patted me on the shoulder.
"Well, here's your chance to prove that you did take out the Third Division."
"And face off against an angry lieutenant? Hell no. Ichigo, you wanna fight the red-haired guy, right?"
"Yep, but I can't fight him and the blonde guy at the same time."
"Don't worry. Since the blonde guy is looking for me, I'll take his attention away. When I do that, you distract this Renji guy and you two make sure to get past as quickly as possible. Get into an entrance closer to the prison and then wait for us."
"That I can do. You cool with that plan, pipsqueak?"
"Y-Yep!", Hanataro nodded rapidly and Ganju grinned as he patted him on the back, nearly knocking the wind out of him as I looked to Ichigo before beginning my climb up.
"Come on, Mr. Strawberry. Let's go get you your revenge," I spoke before snickering at Ichigo's grumbling, deciding to simply send the manhole cover soaring up and away with a Sho before climbing up right as I saw Renji and Kira looking at us.
"That the guy?", I heard Renji ask Kira and watched as the blonde nodded even as Ichigo climbed up, the both of us walking over while Kira slowly unsheathed his blade.
"Good evening, gentlemen. I don't suppose you'll show us to the Senzaikyu, yes?"
"If you think you can surrender now, you're very mistaken. You two have caused far too much trouble for the Gotei 13, especially you," Renji spoke while pointing his sword at me and I shrugged as Kira frowned.
"I mean, I fought a few Shinigami and stole some stuff but how does that warrant not letting me go?"
"You took out three seated officers and half of Division 3 as well as stole confidential information from one of the most secretive organizations of the Soul Society. What makes you think we'll let you go?"
"…Huh, you really weren't lying."
"Oh, come on. Even you doubted me?", I groaned as I looked at Ichigo and shook my head as the orange-haired teen simply shrugged in response.
"Like Ganju said, it was a bit of a far-fetched tale."
"Enough with the talking! Are you two going to let us kill you or are you going to fight?!", Renji asked with a growl as he pointed his blade at us and I nodded to Ichigo before walking off to the left, keeping an eye on Kira as he slowly walked after me.
"I don't suppose there's a chance you and I don't fight, right?"
"Not in the slightest. I have been ordered by my captain to take you in and make sure you do not make it to Rukia."
'So, Gin ordered him to take me in and not kill me? Perhaps Aizen already knows of what I want to do. Hah, I guess then there is no point in holding back, huh?'
"I see. Then, I will make sure our battle is swift," I spoke with a bow while tapping my cane against my leg, watching as he simply nodded while shifting his body in a normal stance.
The next second, a barrier formed around me right as he blitzed part, the Reiryoku of the necklace shifting to my arm and closing up the shallow cut that had been opened by his fast strike as I was only able to even see a glimpse of him coming towards me.
"Hado #4: Byakurai! Hado #1: Sho! Bakudo #4: Hainawa! Bakudo #6: Rokuren!", My mind was racing and my cane swinging as I cast Kido after Kido in rapid succession.
However, Kira didn't even look phased in the slightest as he dodged around the Byakurai while shooting out his won non-verbal Sho to block mine.
The Bakudo spells he blocked just as easily as he raised his katana to let it take the Hainawa while lunging forward to dodge the six light chains of the Rokuren that shot out of the ground, rushing in while shattering the Hainawa as I formed another barrier.
"Raise Your Head, Wabisuke!", As he finished his release command, his sword finished shifting into having two 90-degree angles to where it resembled a hook, the Shinigami not wasting a single second as he raised his blade before bringing it down.
My eyes widened as his blade slowly cut deep into the barrier before it was stopped, but as he leapt back, I found myself slowly dismissing the barrier while staring at the area that was caved in where he attacked.
'Holy shit. So his blade works on condensed spiritual energy as well. I guess that means I really need to dodge his attacks and nothing else,' I thought with a frown as I took a deep breath, gathering reishi in my hands before taking a deep breath as I let the Reishukaku drop to the ground while rolling my neck.
"Hado #1: Sho!", The next moment, my cane was a blur as I shot out a rapid barrage of Shoat the Shinigami, who looked a bit surprised even as he spun his sword and swiftly swatted all of them to the side.
"Bakudo #7: Tenshiho!", As he went to rush at me, his eyes widened as his legs froze in place, my cane quickly tracing the sigil for 'Bind' in the air before I pushed it forward.
"Bakudo #9: Geki!"
"Bakudo #39: Enkosen!", Kira responded in kind as a thin sheet of blue spiritual energy in front of him and my eyes widened as I quickly leapt to the side while dragging my cane behind me as he reflected the Geki back at my direction.
"Bakudo #2: Koju (Binding Tree)!", The ground along my line cracked before dozens of wooden roots shot up and rushed towards him, Kira quickly shattering the hold around his legs while slashing out wide to cut the roots in half while forcing the lower half to fall to the ground.'
"Hado #31:…"
"Hado #31:…"
"Shakkaho!", Both of us exclaimed in unison as I stabbed my cane forward at him while he pushed his palm forward at me, the scarlet orbs in front of us shooting forward and clashing with a powerful explosion before I stomped my foot onto the ground.
"Bakudo #21: Sekienton!"
"Hado #58: Tenran!", As I created a large burst of red smoke that mixed in with the dust of the explosion, Kira didn't waste a single moment as I heard his voice before a powerful tornado ripped through the air.
The wind generated by it was powerful enough to push away everything in its path and I gritted my teeth as I dragged a circle around me before slamming my palm onto the ground.
"Bakudo #29:Shippu Sosei(Gale Rebound Star)!", Pulling on the Reimyaku of the land below me, I watched as the ground surged before a powerful tornado surrounded me, partially blocking the powerful gusts from his attack before I took a deep breath and chanted.
"O embers of the sun, flesh veiled in an unyielding embrace. Howling wind, ash dance, inferno's wrath one becomes. Hado #26: Fukumen (Veil of Flame)!" The moment I finished my chant, I watched in awe as a powerful flaming aura surrounded my body.
The heat from it felt comforting and warm as the flames mixed with the tornado around me and I grinned as I watched the flame-nado increasing in size until it was a blazing storm.
With a grunt and a stomp, the flames rose up high before cascading down onto the ground like a tidal wave, burning and melting everything in its path.
"Bakudo #37: Tsuriboshi!", As the flames surged towards Kira, I was not surprised to see him sent out a ball of blue spiritual energy in response, quickly jumping back as six ropes shot from the orb and stretched it out until it formed into a flat elastic cushion that he used to shoot up high.
"Hado #33: Sokatsui!"
"Bakudo #34:Mizugoromo(Water Robe)!", Sending out a pulse of my Reiryoku from my body, I watched as the spiritual energy quickly pulled the moisture from the air and condensed it into a water bubble around my body.
Wincing at the heat coming from the flames even as I blocked it, I quickly dispersed the Mizugoromo and rushed in with a burst of Reiryoku, pulling on the Reiryoku of the necklace while raising a finger right as I burst through the steam and dodged the attack from Kira.
"Cero!" Grabbing the front of his uniform, I hissed at the slash delivered to my back before delivering a powerful blast to his chest, watching as he was carried off by the Cero while grunting when I nearly fell over.
'D-Damn, that…is a hard thing to fight,' I thought with a groan as I forced myself up, the doubled weight of my back making me stumble slightly before I pulled on the Reimyaku of the Seireitei while chanting.
"O binding force, shaped from the void! Steel woven to fate, hundred steps to capture. Soul shackled, entwine and ensnare! Bakudo #22: Hyappo Renga (Hundred-Step Linked Chains)!", The moment I finished my chant, the ground under Kira ripped open as he knocked the Cero away, his eyes widening as a hundred blue thin chains shot from the ground and wrapped around his limbs and body.
"O golden guardian, crystallize in defiance. Hardened will, unyielding light. Repel the blade, deny the storm! Bakudo #46: Kohaku no Tate (Amber Shield)!", However, as I watched the chains crack while he strained to free himself, I clapped my hands together while pulling on the Reimyaku below him, grunting as an amber-coloured barrier formed around him and sealed him off.
"Lances of judgement, pierce and take flight! Hundred spears of a hundred steps, cast a verdict and seal the path. Bakudo #62: Hyapporankan (Hundred Step Fence)!", Pulling on the reishi of the air around me while adding my own Reiryoku to the spell, a large blue-white glowing orb of energy formed above my head before it rapidly shot out into a hundred smaller orbs that surrounded the barrier.
Kira's eyes widened as he shattered the chains the moment holes opened in the barrier, each orb shooting through the holes and making them seal behind them right as the orbs transformed into rods and impacted the Shinigami from all sides.
"Fate of Three Sparrows, Fate of Four Dragons, Enclosed on Five Sides, Unable to return to six ri. Thousand ashes with a thousand wisdoms of the white cloud's plan. Close to the moon, vengeance hungers yet not stepping on the shadow of scarlet. Winds gather yet do not touch the cane of elm. Flower Crane Launch: Golden Kan'onball!", This time, I fuelled my spell with not only just the Reimyaku of the land but also the reishi of the air and my own Reiryoku.
This time, as Kira shattered the rods and the barrier around him, my eyes widened as his body was obscured by a pillar of golden flames and I had to admit that I was a bit concerned that I may have killed him.
"Bakudo #73: Tozansho (Inverse Mountain Crystal)!"
'Nope, didn't get him,' I thought with a slightly relieved and worried sigh as I saw the inverted blue pyramid made by Kira's Reiryoku, with it enduring the spell even though numerous cracks were made across its surface and parts of it was chipped off by the flames.
However, as he dismissed the spell and stood still, I couldn't help my wince as I saw parts of his legs and left arm having been burned by the flames, the Shinigami looking to be in pain as he stumbled out from the flames while staring at me with a determined look.
My breathing itself was heavy from the doubled weight of my back pushing onto my lungs, but I forced myself to take a deep breath as I raised my arm towards him.
"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six.Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro!", Overcharging the spell with most of my Reiryoku and the reishi, Kira wheezed as the six thin sheets of light formed around him and slammed into his midsection.
"Apologies, but I can't…have you running around with those wounds," I spoke up before turning as I felt Renji's Reiryoku dropping, Ichigo's feeling just as weak before I looked to Kira as he spoke up.
"You will regret…not finishing me off," Kira spoke up and I looked at his frown before smiling and nodding.
"Perhaps I will…but I'd rather not take a life when it's not needed. Maybe one day we can face off again and you can see whether or not you have the resolve to end a life without needing it to be an execution."
"…Perhaps," He spoke and I smiled before turning around and beginning my walk back to the others.
As I began my jog away, my eyes widened as I felt pain exploding in my stomach, unable to stop myself from spitting up blood as I slowly looked down to see a blade piercing through my abdomen.
"Well, well~ And here I thought Kira would be enough~"
A/N: You guys thought the Don would just get away and everything would be done?
Nah, there's no such thing as ultimate plot armour in this story. However, who attacked him and what's about to happen next?
You'll have to wait until the next one.
Also, I apologize deeply for the late upload but I don't know if it's the changing season because I have been having headaches and a stuffed nose for the past week. I was actually writing the latter part of his chapter last night before the headache got too much and I decided on taking a nap.
It's a lot better today, especially after the medicine my mom got me so now I'm just going to post this and the Toji story before I go take a nap again.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next chapter,
Ba-Bye~!